Mike Tomlin Falls Out Of High 5 In NBC Sports activities’ 2025 Head Coach Rankings

Mike Tomlin has been a longtime fixture on the high of head coach rankings across the NFL media panorama. Typically talking, the fanbase has a a lot harsher view of Tomlin than a lot of the nationwide media guys. Based on NBC Sports activities’ annual head coach rankings put collectively by Patrick Daugherty, Tomlin has slid out of the highest 5. He lands at No. 8 for the 2025 rankings.

“Making the playoffs can be sufficient for many coaches. Mike Tomlin just isn’t most coaches,” Daugherty wrote. “There’s additionally the truth that in a 14-team area, not all postseason appearances are created equal. With zero January victories in 5 tries since 2017-18, the Steelers not often lose sufficient to overlook the event however by no means win as soon as they get there. They’ve grown snug serving as a sacrificial lamb seventh seed in a quarterback-loaded AFC.”

No matter you consider Tomlin, it’s almost not possible to turn out to be a deep playoff contender till you’ve a high 10 quarterback. Heck, the Steelers would have even benefitted from a constant high 15 quarterback over the past a number of years.

Even Invoice Belichick had some fairly depressing seasons when Tom Brady was injured or after he left for Tampa Bay late in his profession.

For a coach like Tomlin, it’s onerous to separate the teaching from the personnel selections. He undoubtedly has his palms all around the decision-making course of. He deserves to be dinged for the failures in that space to a sure extent. However when it comes to being a head coach and main a workforce, Tomlin continues to be among the many finest within the league.

Take heed to nearly any participant that has performed for him or any coach that he’s labored with prior to now and so they nearly unanimously describe how nice he’s as a coach.

Forward of Tomlin within the rankings are Dan Campbell, Jim Harbaugh, Nick Sirianni, Kyle Shanahan, John Harbaugh, Sean McVay and Andy Reid. Sirianni was receiving fairly a bit of warmth this time final yr and he’s now considered in a totally totally different mild. Issues can change fairly shortly with the presence of a franchise quarterback on the roster.

Will Tomlin be capable to maintain onto the job lengthy sufficient to get one other franchise quarterback? The Steelers seem like angling themselves to take some swings on the place over the following two drafts, together with the 2025 NFL Draft developing in only a couple weeks.

They’re additionally nonetheless closely linked to future first-ballot Corridor of Famer Aaron Rodgers.

“Enter the Steelers’ riskiest gambit but. If he ever really indicators, Aaron Rodgers’ ‘huge character’ shouldn’t be an enormous concern for a coach who saved Antonio Brown on a Corridor of Fame observe. It’s Rodgers’ immobility and rising inaccuracy that might have Tomlin beginning off into the Week 8 distance wishing he had a Russell Wilson moon ball or a Najee Harris two-yard dive,” Daugherty wrote. “If this entrance workplace’s last-ditch quarterback gamble doesn’t repay, it might be time for a 2012 Andy Reid-esque parting of the way. The Steelers blow it up, and Tomlin places another person excessive.”

I can perceive followers viewing Rodgers as a last-ditch effort, nevertheless it doesn’t really feel just like the Steelers are panicking or treating 2025 just like the final straw with Tomlin. He signed a three-year extension final yr and the Steelers will nearly definitely not transfer on from him till the top of his present contract. I do assume this three-season arc will probably be pivotal to Tomlin’s future with the Steelers.

The 1st step is fixing the quarterback state of affairs, however the getting old protection will quickly turn out to be a problem. It’s solely going to get more durable to remain aggressive because the Steelers transition their roster to the following period, and the underside may fall out in the event that they swing and miss on one other first-round quarterback.