The Marvel superheroes proved in the blockbuster hit The Avengers: Endgame that nothing is inevitable. But NFL insider Mike Florio strongly suggested a divorcee between the Pittsburgh Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin will happen.
Florio argued the franchise’s pursuit of Aaron Rodgers will only “delay” its arrival.
“It just feels like we’re getting close to something happening between Tomlin and the Steelers if they can’t win a playoff game,” Florio said on the March 25 episode of Pro Football Talk, via Steelers Depot’s Jake Brockhoff. “Whether that’s Art Rooney [II] reaches the end of his rope and breaks from the tradition of three coaches … or whether it’s Tomlin saying, ‘I need a fresh start, I need to go somewhere else.’
“It just feels like we’re getting closer to ‘boom.’ And I feel like this move is a desperate attempt to delay the ‘boom’ that is coming in Pittsburgh.”
Mike Tomlin-Steelers Parting Ways Only a Matter of Time?
It’s Florio’s job to engage his audience with intriguing topics all year long. One of the insider’s favorites in recent years is Tomlin’s job security in Pittsburgh.
Florio has been suggesting the Steelers and Tomlin could part ways for the last few years. The prediction reached a fever pitch when the team and coach were set to enter a contract year in 2024. But Tomlin signed an extension through the 2027 season last summer.
So, it’s easy to see Steelers Nation viewing Florio as the boy who cried wolf when it comes to Tomlin’s relationship with the organization.
But clearly, Tomlin’s status with the Steelers is going to remain a topic until he wins a playoff game, or maybe even another Super Bowl. The question is whether Rodgers could be the solution to ending the playoff victory drought for the Steelers.
If one doesn’t view Rodgers able to lead the Steelers to a playoff win in 2025, then one isn’t likely to support the move. But Tomlin apparently sees, and a lot of Steelers fans do too, the 41-year-old capable of one final strong NFL season.
The More Likely ‘Boom’ Coming to Pittsburgh
Florio seemed to suggest the Steelers and Tomlin could benefit from departing ways. But both sides appear very comfortable in their current situations.
PennLive.com’s Nick Farabaugh argued Tomlin has been “the driving force” behind the team’s decisions this offseason. If that’s the case, it was likely true last year too. Would Tomlin have as much influence if he coached another NFL team?
From the Steelers’ perspective, Rooney has not budged on the team’s tradition of not firing head coaches. For that reason, pundits have stated Tomlin has a lifetime contract with the Steelers.
The much more likely boom coming to Pittsburgh is a losing season. It’s something the team hasn’t suffered since Bill Cowher was coach in 2003. The Steelers then drafted Ben Roethlisberger the following spring.
Tomlin is such a good football coach that he’s patched together enough at quarterback since Roethlisberger’s retirement to continue winning at least eight or nine games per season. Pursuing Rodgers is the latest in the Steelers’ quarterback patchwork.
Rodgers could keep Tomlin’s non-losing streak intact. But with Rodgers, the Steelers could be back to where they are now in March 2026 with no quarterback.
It may take suffering a losing season to land a good enough pick to draft their next franchise quarterback. Mike Tomlin and the Steelers, though, are pushing that losing year into the future with veteran quarterback additions every offseason.
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