NFL world hears truth about ex-Steelers HC Mike Tomlin: 'I apologize for this'

The Pittsburgh Steelers are set for a much different-looking era now that Mike Tomlin has walked away from coaching. 

At 53 years old, the football world is pretty shocked to see that Tomlin is no longer the man leading Pittsburgh. For 19 seasons, Tomlin was a brilliant leader who certainly had some flaws, but he won a Super Bowl early in his tenure. Some argue that the championship came with Bill Cowher’s roster and that Tomlin inherited Ben Roethlisberger. Without that foundation, many wonder how different his career might have looked, but that argument can be made for almost any coach who has experienced success or failure.

Tomlin’s legacy is complex and layered. He never had a losing season in nearly two decades, which is remarkably impressive in the NFL and speaks to his consistency, leadership and ability to manage locker rooms through changing eras. At the same time, he did not win a playoff game after the 2016 season, which has become a major point of criticism among fans and analysts. That contrast between sustained regular-season success and postseason disappointment makes evaluating his overall impact more difficult than a simple win-loss record suggests.

Mike Tomlin struggled in one area with Steelers

Sports analyst Emmanuel Acho recently touched on this complexity while speaking with former NFL receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Acho delivered some harsh truths about Tomlin’s tenure, pointing out areas where expectations may not have been met and questioning how much responsibility falls on the coach versus the roster construction around him. The conversation has sparked renewed debate about how history should remember Tomlin, not just as a great coach, but as one whose career invites real and nuanced discussion.

"Mike Tomlin is a brilliant defensive mind, he's a brilliant motivator, he's a brilliant leader of men, he's a brilliant speaker, he's a brilliant all of those things," Acho said while speaking about Tomlin on his podcast. "But he has never shown you this ability. Mike Tomlin has never shown you the ability to evaluate or develop a quarterback. Ever. Mike Tomlin inherited Ben Roethlisberger. I apologize for this truth that I am about to say. When he had to draft Mason Rudolph, it didn't work. Landry Jones, didn't work. Devlin Duck Hodges, acquired him, didn't work. Josh Dobbs, Tennessee, didn't work. Justin Fields, acquired him, didn't work."

To be fair to Tomlin, Acho is pointing out a lot of project or fringe quarterbacks, guys no one truly had strong faith in. Tomlin was not drafting these players with the expectation that they would develop into franchise starters, but rather as backups behind Roethlisberger, who might develop over time. 

It feels a bit unfair, especially when mentioning someone like Devlin "Duck" Hodges. That said, there is still some truth to what Acho is articulating.

"So he [Mike Tomlin] said, you know what? I am not good at identifying talent, let me just acquire veterans," Acho said. "Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Mike Tomlin in his 19 year coaching career has never, ever, shown the ability to identify and develop the best position."

Wilson struggled so badly with the Denver Broncos that the team paid him $39 million in cash in 2024 as part of his remaining guaranteed salary, while also absorbing a massive $85 million total salary-cap hit across 2024 and 2025 just to move on from him. 

Mike Tomlin's legacy with Steelers remains complex

In that context, it is actually fairly impressive what Tomlin was able to get out of Wilson compared to how things unfolded in Denver. That perspective matters when evaluating Tomlin’s ability to maximize what he had to work with. 

While the failure of Kenny Pickett is arguably the biggest blemish on Tomlin’s recent resume, it is notable that Acho did not even highlight that point. Overall, Tomlin’s legacy remains complicated, but it is difficult to deny that he consistently got more out of his rosters than many coaches would have.