For as long as the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to leave January without a playoff victory, a portion of the fanbase will be calling for head coach Mike Tomlin to be relieved of his duties.
He’ll be accused of prioritizing his streak of non-losing seasons over taking championship-caliber risks. They’ll say the game has passed him by, or that he isn’t capable of making the right hire at offensive coordinator.
Tomlin isn’t immune to criticism, but with the backing of the Pittsburgh braintrust and a reputation for being an elite players’ coach, it’s safe to assume he isn’t going anywhere soon.
His reputation is part of why Aaron Rodgers chose Western Pennsylvania over an extra year of Malibu-bound retirement. Their relationship has quickly become one of the most important in the organization.
Former Steelers cornerback Joe Haden revealed the key to Tomlin and Rodgers getting along.
“You just got to be a grown man, go there, be honest,” Haden said on “Up & Adams with Kay Adams.” “Coach Tomlin does a great job of being able to build real, genuine relationships with people. Me and him had a relationship where you could just talk… One thing he’s going to do, he’s going to be blatantly honest with you, so you just need to be honest with him.
“Coach Tomlin is so real. There’s no fluff, there’s no fake, so when he tells you something, he means it. You can go so far from that. I think that Coach T and Aaron are both gonna have respect for each other and be able to just have open lines of communication.”
Rodgers raved about Tomlin in his introductory presser. His Green Bay Packers beat Pittsburgh in Rodgers’ only Super Bowl, and the coach’s resume speaks for itself.
His status as a stalwart is meaningful, especially compared to Rodgers’ last stop, when New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh was fired in October. Rodgers was asked to save his second team. In Pittsburgh, he’ll be joining a playoff-ready roster with significant expectations and the consistency to justify them.
With Tomlin in the building, Rodgers won’t redefine Pittsburgh’s culture. But he will define its 2025 campaign, and he’s Tomlin’s best shot at competing.
