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ESPN Host Believes Mike Tomlin Could Leave Steelers

One of the biggest names in sports believes Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers could split.

Jack Markowski

Dec 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin watches warm ups against the Kansas City Chiefs at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Dec 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin watches warm ups against the Kansas City Chiefs at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
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Calls for change within the Pittsburgh Steelers' organization have been amplified following the team's four-game losing streak to close out the regular season, with some believing that head coach Mike Tomlin could be on his way out one way or another.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith falls under that category, stating on "First Take" that he believes Tomlin should contemplate bolting from Pittsburgh in favor of the Chicago Bears while opining that the franchise could potentially benefit from a change as well.

"I love Mike Tomlin," Smith said. "I hope he doesn't leave. But I want to make sure I emphasize what I'm saying here. There does come a point in time, and I'm not saying that is the case yet with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but there does come a point in time where you have to ask yourself a question: Is a new voice and vision required?"

Smith's reasoning behind why the Steelers may welcome Tomlin moving on boiled down to the fact that the team has not won a postseason game in eight years while largely stagnating, which isn't the type of output you would expect from one of the most decorated franchises in NFL history.

At the same time, Tomlin has not endured a losing season throughout his 18 years at the helm for Pittsburgh and thus has established himself as one of the top coaches in the league, so it wouldn't make a ton of sense for the Steelers to simply cut him loose.

It's unknown at the moment if Tomlin has even an inkling of interest in leaving Pittsburgh considering that its season is still ongoing, but such a resolution would come as a surprise.

While teams such as the Bears could call the Steelers in hopes of prying Tomlin away, he signed a three-year extension for a reason last June and could flat-out shut down any overtures given that he has a no-trade clause in his contract, as reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter.

It's fair to say that neither Tomlin nor the organization are thrilled with their collective inability to make a playoff run over the better part of a decade, and the fact that Pittsburgh is limping into its Wild Card round matchip with the Baltimore Ravens won't help those feelings.

Regardless, Tomlin has positioned the Steelers as perennial contenders while upholding the team's sterling reputation, and it wouldn't make much sense for that pairing to break up.

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Jack Markowski
JACK MARKOWSKI

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