Mike Tomlin has been a polarizing figure in Pittsburgh since he was hired in 2007, and much more so over the last decade.
Despite never having a losing season in his 17 seasons with the franchise, Tomlin and the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season, and fans are growing increasingly impatient.
That impatience reached a height earlier in the 2023-24 campaign when the Steelers lost three consecutive games, including back-to-back games to two-win teams. Calls for Tomlin to be traded or fired became as loud as they’ve ever been, and it seemed as if the Steelers season was done.