The Pittsburgh Steelers will not be firing head coach Mike Tomlin in 2025, but that hasn’t stopped a large contingent of fans from calling for his job.
While speaking with “The Christian Kuntz Podcast” on January 23, veteran starting cornerback Donte Jackson explained why those specific Steelers fans — who one of Kuntz’s co-hosts dubbed the “Tomlin haters” — would be wise to reconsider their stance on the long-time Pittsburgh HC.
“The message to the Tomlin haters. I would just be like — ‘Man, be careful what you wish for,’” Jackson responded.
“I’ve seen — in my six years in Carolina — I’ve seen three coaches get fired during the season,” the Steelers CB reasoned. Clarifying that he meant three “head coaches.”
“I’ve seen three head coaches get fired during the season,” Jackson reiterated, continuing: “Some guys go through their whole career and not see one head coach get fired, period. Not let alone during the season, bro. I’ve seen three get fired during the season, bro. I’ve been under three interim head coaches… in six seasons. That’s in six seasons, you know what I’m saying?”
Jackson went on to compare his career to Cameron Heyward, who’s played 14 seasons under Tomlin.
“I’ve never had a winning season until I got here,” the 29-year-old added. “Never had a playoff game until this year… So, that’d just be my [message].”
Donte Jackson Says Steelers Must Continue Building Toward Success Under Mike Tomlin: ‘Starting Over Is Hard’
Later, Jackson also noted that teams have to build toward success, and that doesn’t happen overnight.
“Starting over is tough, bro,” he said. “A lot of coaches make it look easy. A lot of organizations make it look like it’s some stuff that just happens all the time. But nah man, starting over is hard.”
“Just be careful what you wish for,” he advised the angrier Steelers fans again. “This is a great situation. [Tomlin is] a great, proven coach. The NFL is [just] hard. Getting over that hump is hard… Not everybody is capable of doing it, and not every coach is.”
Jackson went on to call Tomlin “one of the greatest” coaches he’s ever been around.
Clearly, Kuntz and Jackson both believe that Tomlin is capable of bringing another NFL title to Pittsburgh, and his Super Bowl ring would back up that theory — even if it’s been some time since the Steelers have hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.
Having said that, the “Tomlin haters” are unlikely to be swayed by the reminder that the “grass isn’t always greener” on the other side. And if the Steelers fall short again in 2025, fans will continue to call for Tomlin’s job.
Steelers’ Donte Jackson & Christian Kuntz Confirm Mike Tomlin Holds Players Accountable
Jackson and Kuntz also made it very clear that players are held accountable under Tomlin, even if he’s considered to be a “player’s coach” by most.
The former joked that Tomlin often calls players out in front of the entire team if they deserve it, and he seemed to like that style of coaching.
“Just that accountability factor… you feel that this guy is with you every single day, every step of the way,” Jackson explained. “[Tomlin is] never disassociating himself, he’s never only talking to the defense one way and talking to the offense the other way. Only talking to certain players different ways. Nah, it’s like everybody’s going to get coached hard, bro, everybody’s going to be held accountable. You gon’ prepare like a mug.”
Kuntz also confirmed that Tomlin’s coaching style trickles down to his coordinators and positional coaches. In his case — being that Kuntz plays long snapper — he admitted that special teams coordinator Danny Smith gets after him on a weekly basis.
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