Former NFL Scout Believes Steelers Should Have Fired Mike Tomlin

The Pittsburgh Steelers revamped the quarterback room and their coaching staff across the board on the offensive side of the football, but one former NFL scout believes that the revamp should have started with Mike Tomlin.

Speaking on his podcast, Three and Out, John Middlekauff believes that Pittsburgh made the wrong decision in keeping Tomlin and thinks they will hover around the same mark they have been at for the past half-decade.

“I thought they should’ve moved on from Tomlin last year,” Middlekauff said. “Like I said, it’s time for a new start… I think the Steelers are in a little bit of trouble. They’re not going to be terrible, but I kinda view them in the same range they’ve been in.”

There had been speculation from national media that Mike Tomlin could look to step aside after the 2023 season, but that obviously didn’t come to fruition. Tomlin will return as the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach for the 2024 season, and is expected to have his contract extended at some point this offseason.

I love what I do. I love where I do it. I love who I do it with. I answer that question rather easily, to be quite honest with you,” Tomlin said at the NFL Owner’s Meetings. “Certainly, we have things like contracts and things to address. But just in spirit, in terms what I do, the energy I bring to what I do, the desire to step out of that car every day and step into that facility, it hasn’t waned in any way. If it’s done anything different, it has intensified.”

At 52, Tomlin is still a relatively young coach. If he chooses to. He probably can coach for another 20 years. Tomlin seems to be a football lifer like Bill Belichick. Of course, Tomlin will need to have more playoff success to last another two decades in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers are currently on a seven-year playoff drought. And the front office and fanbase are craving for not only a playoff win, but a Super Bowl title for the first time since the 2008-2009 season.

Tomlin, who is the longest-tenured head coach in the league, is entering his 18th season with the Steelers. His previous contract extension was a three-year deal that he signed in 2021, running through the 2022-24 seasons. His contract extensions have traditionally been announced at training camp.