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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin looks on as the clock winds down during the second half against the Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA on October 26, 2025. Michael Longo / For USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Steelers, Mike Tomlin Divorce Really Might Be Coming

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Noah Strackbein | Last updated Dec 7, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The talk around the Pittsburgh Steelers is not how if they win the AFC North they'll host at least one playoff game at Acrisure Stadium, giving them an opportunity to snap an eight-year streak of non-playoff win season. It's not about a pivotal game against the Baltimore Ravens.

It's about Mike Tomlin.

The fanbase made their frustrations known at a new level when "Fire Tomlin" chants reigned down from the seats during an embarrassing loss to the Buffalo Bills. Before then, it was more intense than usual when talking about Tomlin's future with the team, but from that moment forward, the conversation became a reality that maybe the team would actually have to move on.

Or they could ignore the fans.

The Door Is Open, Though

Sources tell Steelers On SI that Art Rooney and the Steelers organization does not have plans to fire Tomlin after the season. The head coach has been in Pittsburgh for 19 years and has led them to Super Bowls and non-losing seasons enough times to feel confident he can do it again.

But ESPN's Adam Schefter revealed that the Steelers have a team option in Tomlin's latest contract, and that 2026 could be the final year of the head coach's run if they chose not to take it.

"After this season, Tomlin's contract will have two years remaining on it -- 2026 and a team option in 2027,"Schefter wrote. "But according to league sources, the Steelers must decide whether to pick up the option on Tomlin's contract by March 1."

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The news certainly changes the thought process about a divorce coming between the Steelers and Tomlin, and here's why.

Tomlin's career isn't over when he leaves the Steelers. That's because Pittsburgh wouldn't fire him. They'd keep him through the 2026 season, giving him another opportunity to prove that things are just in a strange place with the roster and that maybe a rebuild is needed, but he can lead that rebuild and do great things on the other side.

Tomlin leaving is the reason to believe change can happen. The head coach has shut down rumor after rumor about wanting to take other jobs, but the fanbase has given up on him. Right now, he's coaching a team where 65,000 fans fill a stadium and chant for him to leave.

Another year of coaching in Pittsburgh means he doesn't know what his options are in 2027. In 2026, he already sees some of them, including a very good opportunity in New York to coach the Giants.

Tomlin to New York Makes Even More Sense

If the Steelers' head coach believes his time with the franchise may come to an end in 2027, why would he wait? Instead, he could ask to move on in 2026, allowing him to take a job in New York who has their next young quarterback, some key pieces on defense, a superstar wide receiver in Malik Nabers and a stud running back in Cam Skattebo.

It's going to be the ideal job for a head coach this offseason. Meanwhile, he'd be staying in Pittsburgh, where they don't have a quarterback, need to add to their wide receiver room and their defense seems to be getting worse by the year.

The team option certainly makes Tomlin leaving early a possibility. And while Rooney isn't going to fire him after one bad season, if Tomlin sees the writing on the wall, heading to a job like the Giants may be too enticing to pass up.

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This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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