After one Super Bowl title, 19 years of tenure, 193 regular-season wins and all seasons with a .500 record or better, Mike Tomlin is finally stepping down as the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach. A new era will begin in a franchise that will look for his fourth head coach in more than 50 years. Itās a select club of few head coaches in Steelers history.
Tomlin stepping away was reported by multiple insiders, including Diana Russini of The Athletic and Adam Schefter of ESPN. Now, the hunt for a new head coach is on. The Steelers might go a different few routes in order to find a new guy. With names like John Harbaugh, Mike McDaniel, Kevin Stefanski and others on the market, it will be key to find the right replacement.
However, the Steelers might also opt to get a coordinator promoted, instead of going for a former head coach on another franchise. For instance, names like Vikings DC Brian Flores could really tempt the Steelers. Itās going to be an interesting time for the front office, given that many teams have already started interview processes.
There are two names that might have a special attraction
Mike Tomlin left with an umblemished record in his long tenure. Replacing that is not easy. In fact, the Steelers might need a general more than just a creative mind. Brian Flores would be a name that comes to mind.
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores of Minnesota Vikings
Flores has a past on the Steelers, he was the linebackers and senior defensive assistant coach in 2022. He knows the talent on the defensive side and it makes perfect sense for the Steelers to be interested in him. The other name is John Harbaugh, who just like Tomlin, left his team after almost two decades. Harbaugh and Tomlin have been linked forever as rivals, and a swap could be tempting.
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The new HC has to be ready for a rebuild
The fact that Tomlin is gone pretty much affects Rodgersā future too. Hence, the team will also likely lose Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator. Therefore, a full rebuild is coming and that can take patience.
While coaching a storied franchise is always a good thing, the Steelers are not a desirable destination given their lack of top-level draft capital, and current cap situation. Itās going to be interesting to see how all this unfolds.
