Mike Tomlin Steps Down As Heach Coach After 19 Seasons With Steelers | Pat McAfee Show

What this episode is about

Mike Tomlin has officially stepped down as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers after 19 successful seasons, making the decision to leave amidst speculation about his future with the team. This marks a significant turning point for both the Steelers and the AFC North, as Tomlin leaves behind a legacy of never having a losing season during his tenure.

Key takeaways

• A coaching era ends, but a loyal fanbase is ready to embrace change and new possibilities.
• 19 seasons without a losing record? Mike Tomlin school of coaching might just open up a mentoring tour.
• After 9 years of playoff woes, Pittsburgh fans have mixed feelings: nostalgia meets a desperate need for change.
• Living legend Tomlin steps down; will NFL see him as a head coach again or as the next great analyst?
• In a league where loyalty can cost you, Tomlin's exit reminds us: timing and expectations are everything.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Pat McAfee (Host) · 8 min speaking
• AJ Hawk (Guest) · 4 min speaking
• Mike Tomlin (Guest)
• Bill Cowher (Guest)
• Brian Flores (Guest)
• Mike McCarthy (Guest)
• Jay Glazer (Guest)

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Super Bowl, AFC North, Bill Cowher, Chuck Noll
2. 3:00 – 6:00: Super Bowl, Mike McCarthy, NFL, Yinszers
3. 6:00 – 9:00: Shawn Payton, Super Bowl, NFL
4. 9:00 – 12:00: Jay Glazer, AFC North, Yinszers, Bill Cowher
5. 12:00 – 14:01: Super Bowl, NFL, Chuck Noll, Cowboys

Notable quotes from "Mike Tomlin Steps Down As Heach Coach After 19 Seasons With Steelers | Pat McAfee Show"

• Home playoff game. The Baltimore Ravens move on from John Harbaugh. And now a week later after a wild card drumming to the Houston Texans. Mike Tomlin gone from the AFC North.…

  about Houston Texans · at 1:06

• Championships and what he did for the team and the city to carry it on from what Coach Cow had done and coach Null had done like an incredible job. and he will never ever be…

  about Chuck Noll · at 1:57

• To go get him. So to your point, BT, I think he's going to go do TV and become king. And he's going to feel respect and appreciation from the entire NFL because the way you…

  about NFL · at 8:04

• Yeah., Now, that, becomes, the, best, one of at least the top jobs. in the AFC North now, there's three coaching vacancies and the Bengals are the only one that are keeping their guys, Zach Taylor, and that might only be for.

  about AFC North · at 9:27

• He's, also, the, only, one, who, you, would hire that I think Aaron would come back for if that's something you want.

  about Mike McCarthy · at 12:15

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Mike McCarthy — Person · Candidate discussed · 1 mention · first at 5:30
  McCarthy is discussed as a potential Steelers head-coach hire due to Pittsburgh roots, winning résumé, and the idea he could attract Aaron Rodgers; concerns include age/tenure length.
• Jay Glazer — Person · Referenced insider/source · 2 mentions · first at 9:02
  Glazer is identified as a key reporter to follow on the Tomlin situation, described as having a close relationship with Tomlin and access to behind-the-scenes moments.
  Jake, Glazer, is, the, guy, we, need, to, be following here.
• Bill Cowher — Person · Referenced predecessor/legacy · 2 mentions · first at 1:59
  Cowher is invoked as part of Steelers coaching lineage, with Tomlin credited for carrying forward what Cowher built and as a historical template for Steelers hiring patterns.
  So, the, last, two, I, I, was, wrong., Cow, was the special teams coordinator at the Browns but then he was the DC at the Chiefs and then he got hired to the Steelers. Obviously Mike Tom was a DC at.
• Shawn Payton — Person · Referenced analogy · 2 mentions · first at 7:46
  Payton is used as a comparison for a coach stepping into TV (Fox) and performing well, supporting the argument that Tomlin could thrive as a media analyst.
  The way. But if he was to go do television with Fox, it would be very similar to situation Shawn Peyton did with Fox where go do TV. I think Shawn Peyton crushed it. I think he did well.
• Chuck Noll — Person · Referenced historical benchmark · 2 mentions · first at 2:01
  Noll is referenced as a long-tenured Steelers coaching icon, used to compare tenure length and organizational stability expectations.

Companies & orgs

• NFL — Company · Referenced league context · 3 mentions · first at 4:16
  The NFL frames the broader coaching-carousel context (many teams calling Tomlin, league-wide perception of him, and the 'what have you done lately' dynamic).
• Houston Texans — Company · Referenced opponent/event trigger · 2 mentions · first at 1:10
  The Texans are mentioned as the team that delivered a 'wild card drumming,' used as a catalyst in the narrative of coaching changes and postseason failure context.
• Cowboys — Company · Referenced team context · 2 mentions · first at 1:28
  The Cowboys are briefly referenced in the show banter and indirectly in the McCarthy discussion (availability and résumé), but they are not a central focus.
  Can, you, imagine, Big, Mike, and, Aaron reuniting IN, BSBURG?, OH,, they, might, be, roommates.

Concepts & topics

• AFC North — Concept · Core topic (division-level change) · 2 mentions · first at 1:04
  The AFC North is portrayed as undergoing major turnover with multiple coaching vacancies, changing the competitive landscape after Tomlin and Harbaugh departures.
• Yinszers — Concept · Referenced audience/fan identity · 2 mentions · first at 5:04
  Yinszers represent the Steelers fan base whose optimism, pressure, and cultural preferences (local ties, winning) are discussed as factors in the coaching change and future hire reception.
  Obviously,, they, would, they, would like that he's a Yinszer first and foremost. They would like that he's an offensive guy and has had success at two places.

Places & events

• Super Bowl — Event · Referenced achievement benchmark · 6 mentions · first at 1:52
  The Super Bowl is used as the standard for judging Tomlin's tenure—credited for winning one and reaching two, but criticized for not winning 'lately' amid recent playoff failures.
  But, for, Tomlin,, how, many, Super, Bowls have you won for me lately? None. Get the hell out of town. Him stepping away from coaching as his messaging is interesting. That means he's on a.
• ACC Championship — Event · Referenced achievement · 1 mention · first at 1:54
  Mentioned as part of Tomlin's résumé ('multiple AFC championships'), reinforcing his historical success even amid recent playoff struggles.
  Obviously, thank you to Coach Tomlin for 19 years, one Super Bowl, two Super Bowl appearances, multiple AFC championships and what he did for the team and the city to carry it…

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 Ladies and gentlemen, Coach Tomlin, a man who had coached the Pittsburgh Steelers for 19 seasons, who led them with great success, never had a losing season as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, informed his team at a team meeting at 2 p.m. Eastern today that he'll be stepping down as a Steelers head coach. Now, obviously this is a gigantic decision that coach Tomlin had to make. There was a lot of conversation and conjecture about whether or not he should be the head coach going forward. Are the Rooney's going to fire him? Would he ever not be the head coach unless he decided he wasn't going to be the head coach? Well it turns out he decided he didn't want to be the head coach anymore. He is stepping down. Did that come after conversations with the Rooney family the ownership group of the Pittsburgh Steelers? Potentially. Did that come after conversations with his family? Did that come after conversations with the

0:46 fans? What led to this decision? We do not know. Hopefully, we'll find out more as we go forward. But Mike Tomlin no longer being the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers is a insane thought. John Harbaugh one week ago loses to the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 18 misses out on an AFC North Championship and a home playoff game. The Baltimore Ravens move on from John Harbaugh. And now a week later after a wild card drumming to the Houston Texans. Mike Tomlin gone from the AFC North. It's the dawning of a new era certainly in the AFC North but definitely in football as a whole and in Pittsburgh. This is wild to think about. Let's go to one half of the hammer.

1:28 Cowboys, AP, tone., Is, that, what, you're getting butterflies in your stomach for about 16 minutes ago whenever you thought this was potentially going to be the news? And now it's officially happened. How do you feel? And how do you think Pittsburgh feels about it?

1:39 Yeah,, I, I, I, to, be, honest,, had, no, idea how I would react if this happened. And at this moment, I kind of like hearts racing cuz at first and foremost obviously, thank you to Coach Tomlin uh for 19 years, one Super Bowl, two Super Bowl appearances, uh multiple AFC championships and what he did for the team and the city to carry it on from what Coach Cow had done and coach Null had done like an incredible job. and he will never ever be forgotten in the city of Pittsburgh for what he did for all these years to go 19 seasons and to be in the playoff race every single season and for a lot of those seasons to have Super Bowl aspirations like he started when I was a freshman in college. So I've basically spent my most of my adult life with coach Tomlin as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. So first and foremost, thank you to him. But when you go nine years in a Steelers organization

2:34 without a playoff win, seven straight playoff losses, um, and none of them being particularly close, like it's just a situation where yes, he's a great coach, but has it has it run its course in Pittsburgh? Most likely, probably. So, you know, it's just I'm I'm shocked. I'm surprised. I didn't think I would uh that this would happen. Um, but like I said, when you go nine years and seven straight playoff losses, this does happen. So now, I think the majority of the city is going to agree with this. I think they're going to agree with what he did in Pittsburgh was incredible and the whole run was incredible and he's a great football coach. But I think people will be happy with the move and I think people will be happy and now optimistic with what the future could bring.

3:21 Okay., Because, it, could, be, different, than what it has been for 19 years now. Coach Tomlin, I think BA mentioned it in the first hour where he said he doesn't think Rooney will fire him, but it's time. And I think when Coach Ba said that, that was a surprise to me that he actually said that publicly, but I think BA was also speaking from Tomlin's perspective. It's like, hey, man, you've done incredible things for this place. And seemingly at this point, you got a stadium chanting to fire you right now. Okay, you got He goes out to go in public. Obviously, everybody's a fan of Mike Tman, but also there's a media to his family, to him. Hey, when are we going to win a Super Bowl? We don't We just got killed again. Is this another year? It's like that was his life anywhere outside of football and outside of his family in Pittsburgh. That's what it became basically. And what is it? Uh you're the dire hero. Live long enough

4:02 to see yourself become the villain or whatever. It's like that, was, Tomlin, in, Pittsburgh, for, sure. And in this modern age being able to stay in the same place for 19 years is wild. That's a crazy thing to even consider. That's why what Harbaugh is doing in Baltimore crazy. with Tomlin. So now you got 20 NFL teams that are trying to call Tomlin and his agent to see, hey, is there any chance that he still wants to coach football or how does this whole thing work? And if he signs, up, to, do, TV,, is, he, going to, be, in the booth this weekend? Is he going to be on a a kickoff show this weekend?

4:33 Because obviously this the biggest time for all these shows. It's like there's, a, chance, Mike, Tomlin, will, have options with what he wants to do next. I cannot read the rest of that because uh the thing is cutting off. Uh still can't. He could put it in between me and AJ. Uh, still can't. If he could put it in between me and AJ, maybe. Boom. Mike Tom will have options with what he wants to do. He can take the year off. He can have a job in television as an analyst. He gets to do what he wants, but it won't be coaching for the Steelers.

4:58 Yeah. I mean, good for Coach Tomlin now that he has all the options in the world. He's worked his ass off to get to this moment. Good for the Steelers. Good for the faithful Yinszers who uh obviously have a sense of optimism and hope about, okay, we got some change. Maybe we can go win it. And uh who do you hire next, Dut? I guess that's the question. Do you with the model the Pittsburgh Steelers have

5:19 they're, looking, for, a, lot, of consistency, which you would think maybe a younger coach, but

5:24 Mike, Vrabel, goes, back, to, New, England. The reason why he does such a good job there is because he loves the place, has a history of that place. He's in the Ring of Honor in that place. Mike McCarthy was born and raised uh three miles from the stadium, four miles from the stadium. He's available. He would obviously he he wanted the Pittsburgh Steelers to win a Super Bowl this year. so his mom and his family could have a good time like the good old days back in the day. It's like who is the right answer now for the Pittsburgh Steelers?

5:49 I guess they have to find that out for the first time in 19 years. Deb they, definitely, have, to, find, it, out., Uh long time I mean Tomlin's basically lived out a dream, every coach's dream to stay at a place like the Pittsburgh Steelers for 19 years. We're getting old. You know, all these kind of chapters are co closing. Bill Bichc in New England, Pete Carroll in Seattle Harbaugh in Baltimore, and now Tomlin in Pittsburgh. Uh based on the history, I'm uh Kyle was pretty young when he got hired, too. This his first NFL head coaching job when he got hired.

6:16 Yeah,, he, was, uh, I, believe, he, was, the special teams coach in Cleveland when he got hired, if I remember correctly.

6:22 Yeah., So,, that, was, his, first, opportunity in Pittsburgh. Then Mike Tomlin got his first NFL opportunity in Pittsburgh. History would tell us it'll probably be another coach getting their first opportunity to take the team forward. Uh but we shall see. It's a tough decision to make. It's an iconic franchise. Um once again, you know, Tone being a fan being from Pittsburgh is different, but me being a fan of just football and, you know, physical defensive football championship caliber of football. Um, so I have the utmost respect for Mike Tomlin and the job that he's done. And like I I personally, and this is me personally, I can't see him coaching anywhere else. This is just me. So I can maybe see him going in the TV. I can't see him with other colors, another hat or whatever on the sideline personally.

7:04 Um, but we shall see. We know how these coaches are wired. They want to coach forever. Uh so we'll see what what's next for Mike Tomlin.

7:10 Big, part, of, this, entire, thing, that's being talked about online is Tomlin stepped down. He wasn't fired. So the Steelers still remain or retain his rights. So this is what Ari Mirro at my sports update former real estate guy I think he was and then he got into aggregating information for the NFL on the internet. I don't think he went to journalism school but he does a great job of aggregating a lot of information on a regular basis. I don't know if he sleeps. He might be one of those guys that's actually plugged in, which is pretty cool that we get to experience that.

7:36 But, if, Mike, Tomlin, was, to, go, do television with Fox, I don't like the photo he used of Mike Tomlin there, by the way. But if he was to go do television with Fox, it would be very similar to situation Shawn Peyton did with Fox where go do TV. I think Shawn Peyton crushed it. I think he did well. I think Tomman would do better than anybody. I think Tom will be the best guy, on, TV, as, soon as, he, gets, on, TV., I think that'll be like a matter of fact. But if he doesn't enjoy it or for some reason does yearn to get back on the football field, somebody's going to have to trade for the Pittsburgh Steelers uh to go get him. So to your point, BT, I think he's going to go do TV and become king. And uh he's going to feel respect and appreciation from the entire NFL because the way you view Mike Tomlin is the, way, I, think, everybody, outside, of the Pittsburgh Steelers fan base views Mike

8:18 Tomlin. This guy's cool. This guy's awesome. This guy always wins. Must be nice Steelers fans that you're complaining about him not winning a Super Bowl. You guys are in the playoffs every single year. That's what the rest of the NFL thinks. So now that he's going to be able to speak to them, I think it's uh I think he's going to be a king if he does TV. AJ, I think he's going to live like a king, get treated like a king, and feel like a king if he does TV and get paid like a king if he does TV. AJ, that's those are a lot of four royal things to kind of change your life a little bit.

8:44 Yeah,, I, think, I'm, not, sure, who, mentioned it, but yeah, we could see him in in a week or two doing playoff coverage sitting at the at the desk somewhere doing it. I know Rap sheet said what he that he informed the team that he plans to step away from coaching meaning one of the greatest to do it will take a break. So does Rapshet know that he's not going to coach this this next year?

9:02 Jake, Glazer, is, the, guy, we, need, to, be following here. Yeah., Glazer, saying

9:07 Glazer, is, the, one, that, we, need, to, be following. He's I think him and Tomlin actually like

9:11 Mhm. You, heard, Trey, remember, the, the, video, um Jay Glazer put from the meeting like they're all sitting around kind of having a drink smoking a cigar at the end of the the coaches their owners meetings like it was like a whole situation Tomlin and Jay are the guys and that's what Schlaggs talks about like yeah these guys run this whole place.

9:27 Yeah., Now, that, becomes, the, best, like, one of at least the top jobs. I mean, in the AFC North now, there's three coaching vacancies and the Bengals are the only one that are keeping their guys, Zach Taylor, and that might only be for another year, but I don't know how you guys would feel, but for a place like Pittsburgh, would this be a spot where you kind of have to bring in someone who understands it? Like immediately I was thinking Brian Flores, cuz Brian Flores was there for a year, kind of got back into coaching with Tomlin, now he's the DC of the Vikings, kind similar, goes Minnesota to Pittsburgh. like would you would, do, you, think, they're, going to, go that route or more so do like the veteran like MacArthur?

10:05 So, the, last, two, I, I, was, wrong., Cow, was the um special teams coordinator at the Browns but then he was the DC at the Chiefs and then he got hired to the Steelers. Obviously Mike Tom was a DC at Vikings and got hired to the Steelers. So if the Rooney stick to their ways it would be a young defensiveminded coach who is a leader of men and that's what they do. Be kind of fits that model. He he is he is younger in that situation. Chris Schula fits that model. Um there's others that fit that model. I would I don't know., I

10:35 maybe, they, want, to, change, the, model. Maybe they want to have an explosive offense.

10:38 Yeah., Which, they, have, recently., They've been doing things differently than they have in the past. So that could be something as well.

10:42 Do, you, think, McCarthy's, ties, to, the, city too play a big role in this? I mean like you know I guess Tomlin isn't from Pittsburgh but by the end of it people who don't know like you just assume oh Mike Tomlin's from Pittsburgh and then obviously Bill Cower. Like does that play into it at all? I think so. I think it does, man. I think

11:02 I, don't, know, just, once, you, start, going through McCarthy's stats and resume

11:06 and, everything. Yeah,, he, wins. And, with, the, way, he'll, impress, in, the conversation, which he certainly would

11:12 he, if, he, took, that,, he'd, be, so, emotional with Pittsburgh like his opening presser, his different cuz he he would he'd get emotional speaking to the Green Bay Packers when I was there, speaking of things going on in Pittsburgh and growing up and all these different stories. If he was actually living it as the head coach of the Steelers, it would be amazing to watch.

11:32 How, would, Yenjers, feel?, Gingers, would like him if he won obviously and he knows that if you become the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, you're you're stepping into a

11:39 Yeah. I, mean,, that's, a, that's, a, little, bit, of a fresher, situation. Obviously,, they, would, like, they, would like that he's a Yinszer first and foremost. They would like that he's an offensive guy and has had success at at two places. Um

11:51 I, I, think, the, only, drawback, is, that, he's in his 60s. So, you're not getting a coach. that you're not getting a coach

11:57 that, can, be, there, for, potentially, 15 plus years because I believe uh yeah Cer was there for 15, Tommen was there for 19. Chuck Null was there for 23 seasons. I'm not saying that that's going to happen or whatever, but

12:08 seems, 10, years, is, a, long, time, though, 10 years. Yeah,, for, sure., He's, also, like, back whisper.

12:15 He's, also, the, only, one, who, you, would hire that I think Aaron would come back for if that's something you want.

12:20 Can, you, imagine, Big, Mike, and, Aaron reuniting IN, BSBURG?, OH,, they, might, be, roommates. They might just move in together. That'd be amazing.

12:29 He, didn't, like, what, was, being, said, about Bland. He didn't like what was being said about Laflur. Aaron said, "I don't like the way we're doing things around here anymore. This what is this NFL?" It's like, it is a what have you done for me lately league?

12:41 Mhm. But, for, Tomlin,, how, many, Super, Bowls have you won for me lately? None. Get the hell out of town. Him stepping away from coaching as his messaging is interesting. That means he's on a microphone. Football just got better. Football got so much better that we got Tomlin on open mic.

12:57 Yeah. Like, I, can't, stress, that, enough., Just, as somebody who has paid attention to Mike Tomlin speaking for a very long time. Just I think we used to run a segment just Tomlin speaking, didn't we?

13:08 Yes., Yes., Tomlinism. Yeah., I, mean, Yeah., Tomlinisms, or something like that. Yeah.

13:13 That's, well, Tomlinisms, I, think, is, what Tomlin's is called. But we used to run a segment whenever we were just on YouTube. We're in the old office where we would just pull a random Tomlin clip. had not listened to it. Let's just pull this and see what it is. And he would just drop some gem in there. It would just be some ridiculous TV like movie like gem. And it's like now he's going to be focusing on that and working on that. Plus hanging chilling has to be in studio. I don't think in the booth would be great. But like football got better today. Football got better today if Mike Tomman's becoming a national you know, kind of voice for the league for the sport as a whole.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Mike Tomlin Steps Down As Heach Coach After 19 Seasons With Steelers | Pat McAfee Show"?

Pat McAfee (Host), AJ Hawk (Guest), Mike Tomlin (Guest), Bill Cowher (Guest), Brian Flores (Guest), Mike McCarthy (Guest), Jay Glazer (Guest).

What is "Mike Tomlin Steps Down As Heach Coach After 19 Seasons With Steelers | Pat McAfee Show" about?

Mike Tomlin has officially stepped down as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers after 19 successful seasons, making the decision to leave amidst speculation about his future with the team. This marks a significant turning point for both the Steelers and the AFC North, as Tomlin leaves behind a legacy of never having a losing season during his tenure.

What is mentioned in this The Pat McAfee Show episode?

12 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Mike McCarthy, Super Bowl, AFC North, Jay Glazer, NFL, Yinszers. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Mike Tomlin Steps Down As Heach Coach After 19 Seasons With Steelers | Pat McAfee Show"?

The episode runs 14 min; the transcript is about 3,148 words in 42 timestamped sections.

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