Mike Tomlin reveals reason he stepped down as Steelers head coach

Mike Tomlin reveals reason he stepped down as Steelers head coach originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

When the announcement was made that Mike Tomlin's time as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach was coming to an end, it was met with varying emotions.

Some thought it was time, given the lack of success over the past decade, while others would have liked Tomlin to continue.

At the time, we didn't know why Tomlin decided to end his historic tenure with the AFC North franchise, as it caught many people off guard.

Well, now we know, thanks to an interview Tomlin did over the weekend.

"It's probably not an overnight decision," Tomlin said via ESPN. "But it's probably not something that I could articulate or share with people. There's a loneliness with leadership. I just thought it was a good time for me, personally. And by that, I mean just where I am in life. And I thought it was a good time for the organization, to be quite honest with you. We didn't have a lot of success in the playoffs in recent years."

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Mike McCarthy era begins

McCarthy now takes over a Steelers team that somehow still doesn't know who its starting quarterback will be in 2026, which is ridiculous to me.

Whether Aaron Rodgers returns is unknown, and last offseason, it wasn't clear he would play until minicamp, so maybe that is the loose timeline.

Still, that isn't ideal for McCarthy, as he looks to get the Steelers playing better offensive football than the grinding rushing attack that took center stage last season.

We will find out eventually what Rodgers is doing, but for now, McCarthy has to focus on the players on the roster he actually knows will be there in 2026.