The Pittsburgh Steelers saw their postseason run end abruptly as they lost in “Monday Night Football” to the Houston Texans, 30-6, in a wild-card matchup.
Immediately after the game, cameras began following Aaron Rodgers during his postgame handshakes and hugs on the field, then as he walked off the field and into the Steelers locker room. Speculation began to swirl about his future as the team’s quarterback and his potential retirement from the NFL.
While that decision has yet to happen, another significant one occurred with the team. Mike Tomlin stepped down as the team’s head coach after 19 seasons, including multiple playoff appearances and a Super Bowl win in 2009.
Some felt it was a surprising move given Tomlin’s tenure and record, prompting fans to wonder what was next for the franchise and the former head coach.
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Plenty of reactions arrived from players, analysts, coaches, and fans after Tomlin’s decision, and on Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers paid tribute to their longtime coach.
Taking to social media, they shared a “Thank you, Coach Tomlin!” message along with a video showcasing highlights from his elite career coaching the team.
The video begins with Tomlin’s introductory press conference as the new head coach nearly 20 years ago, stressing how honored he was to be part of “one of the most storied franchises in all of sports” and his plans to have a “first-class blue-collar work ethic” in how they ran things with the team.
There’s also footage of Tomlin in his second season, coaching the team to a Super Bowl victory behind stars like Ben Roethlisberger, Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward, and James Harrison.
The video features plenty of quotable Tomlin speech bits full of motivational value. Before the tribute video ends, there is also footage of Rodgers walking off the field with Tomlin, celebrating his 200th overall win in the NFL.
On X, the tribute video received over 25,000 likes and numerous comments from fans showing their respect for the former head coach.
“Next stop Canton, Ohio 🫡,” one X commenter suggested.
“Not a Steelers fan, but have always liked Mike Tomlin, just dug the dude. He did it right. Always. Integrity, class and always knew his teams would bring it,” another commenter wrote.
“Great coach will be exciting to see if and when he’ll come back. He’s going to be awesome on TV,” an X commenter said.
Tomlin leaves behind an impressive legacy and some big shoes to fill, having led the Steelers to many winning seasons during his coaching career. He had 13 playoff appearances, no seasons with a record below .500, eight AFC North titles, and two Super Bowl appearances, including the 2009 win.
Despite chatter from fans and others suggesting the Steelers fire Tomlin earlier this season, he built and maintained an impressive winning tradition in Pittsburgh, including claiming another Lombardi Trophy for the storied franchise.
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