Ryan Clark warns Steelers about Mike Tomlin leaving: ‘You could be the Jacksonville Jaguars’

After eight winless seasons in the playoffs, including five straight exits, Mike Tomlin’s future is a hot topic of conversation. Even though the Steelers won’t be moving on from Tomlin this year, the idea that someone else might be better suited to lead the football team remains a topic worth exploring. On Monday on NFL Live, former Steelers S analyst and current ESPN analyst Ryan Clark compared Tomlin to a man who gives a woman everything she wants, but she doesn’t feel “happiness.” . He also questioned whether Tomlin was underperforming in the playoffs or maximizing his talent early in the year.

“Is Mike Tomlin overperforming early in the season, or underperforming in the playoffs? This team that always seems prepared in the big games of the season, but which has fallen behind at least 14 points in its last five trips to the playoffs, is it not ready? Aren’t they taking the message from the boardroom to the football field?

Clark said if the Steelers feel Mike Tomlin isn’t preparing players, it’s worth discussing if someone else will be better. But he also added that it was a risky move because the Steelers could find themselves in a much worse situation.

“And if you feel that way, you need to have the conversation. Can we have a higher cap? But here’s what you’ll have to face. We could also become the Jacksonville Jaguars. This team doesn’t know what it’s like to win only five games, to win six games, to be the Las Vegas Raiders this year. And I think it’s a difficult decision to make when the Lombardi trophies are the most important thing in your life.

Pittsburgh hasn’t had a losing season since 2003 and since then, whether under Bill Cowher or Tomlin, they have always been a competitive team. But the lack of playoff success under Tomlin became stale, and that’s what led to the idea that the Steelers might be better off moving on. This would undoubtedly be a risk if this was a move the Steelers were considering making for exactly the reasons Clark mentioned. If the Steelers make the wrong recruiting move, they could end up as a bad football team instead of continually competing for the playoffs.

The flip side is that if Pittsburgh drafts the right team, they can once again become one of the best teams in the league. They could compete for the Super Bowl instead of being a team where fans know they can probably safely plan a mid-January vacation after an early playoff exit. Mike Tomlin provides a high floor for the Steelers, but at this point it’s worth wondering if their ceiling is capped.

It could also be argued that Mike Tomlin maximizes the talent the Steelers have to get them to the playoffs. They haven’t really had good quarterback play since Ben Roethlisberger retired in a few stretches this season. They had a shaky running game and their defensive talent collapsed down the stretch. A new head coach might not be able to win with Tomlin’s consistency, given the talent on the roster, and the Steelers need to evaluate how much of their problems are Tomlin’s or their roster construction’s.

It’s a moot point for this offseason since Mike Tomlin will likely still be Pittsburgh’s head coach when 2025 kicks off, but it highlights some of the concerns Art Rooney II might have about moving on from Tomlin. There’s an inherent risk whenever you fire a head coach, but if Pittsburgh’s playoff futility continues another season, it might be a risk worth taking if not already done.