Steelers starter breaks his silence on Mike Tomlin's departure

The Pittsburgh Steelers were sent into uncharted waters when head coach Mike Tomlin decided to walk away from the organization, and one offensive starter broke his silence on the situation still being discussed three months later.

According to Steelers running back Jaylen Warren, Tomlin wasn't the problem when looking at Pittsburgh's shortcomings, and his overall departure hit him harder, as he was the coach who signed Warren as an undrafted player.

"Me personally, I never thought he was the problem or whatever, but it sucks," Warren said via Good Morning Football. "I was, I wouldn't say traumatized, but it hurt because he was the one who took me in as an undrafted. He gave me a shot. And that's who I was playing under for my first four years. To hear him resign, it sucked, but he had to do what he had to do."

Tomlin, who served as the Steelers head coach for 19 seasons, stepped down on January 13, 2025, just one day after Pittsburgh's blowout loss in a playoff matchup against the Houston Texans. Long-time head coach Mike McCarthy was hired as his successor a few weeks later.

Warren, while disappointed in Tomlin's decision, also expressed excitement over the new McCarthy regime, admitting he loves the energy his new offensive-minded head coach brings.

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This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers' Jaylen Warren reacts to Mike Tomlin stepping down