There was a somber mood around the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday, January 13, when head coach Mike Tomlin he told his team he was quitting. Even the stoic Aaron Rodgers broke into tears, according to The Athletic.
Steelers beat the writer Mike DeFabo He spoke with players, coaches and team staff members about that emotional meeting, reporting that Rodgers, 42, “through the cracks, put together a two-word message to deliver to his coach: ‘I’m sorry,’ several players heard him say. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
That’s in line with what Rodgers told the media publicly before the 53-year-old Tomlin made his decision. After the Steelers’ 30-6 playoff loss to the Houston Texans on Monday, Jan. 12, the Steelers quarterback defended his coach after another year of falling short.
“Mike T’s had more success than damn near anybody in the league over the last 19-20 years,” he told reporters. “More than that, though, when you have the right man and the culture is right, you don’t think about making a change.”
Reporters expecting a juicy quote from Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers about what it will be like to face his former team, the New York Jets, will be sorely disappointed. Rodgers, 41, was, shall we say, terse when asked if the Steelers’ season opener was any different than any other game, given the opponent. “Yes”, (…)
Tomlin took over as head coach of the Steelers in 2007 and was an immediate success, leading Pittsburgh to the playoffs in his first year and winning the Super Bowl in his second season. The Steelers finished .500 or better every season under Tomlin, winning the AFC North eight times along the way, but the franchise never returned to the top of the NFL mountain.
With Pittsburgh winless in the playoffs since 2016, Tomlin (not to mention some vocal Steelers fans) felt it was time for a change.
“In the NFL business, there are consequences for not doing your job,” he told his team, according to The Athletic. “As a professional in this business, you have to live with those consequences. Some of us will be here next year, some of us won’t.”
Tomlin continued, “Guys, I want you to hear this from me first. I just met myself Art Rooney and (general manager) Omar (Khan). I think it’s better for the organization to step down.”
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been in the NFL long enough to know when his performance isn’t doing it. Their head coach, Mike Tomlin, could say the same. Asked how he would rate Rodgers’ play in Pittsburgh’s 25-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Nov. 9, Tomlin, 53, was blunt. (…)
“It felt like a funeral,” said one staff member. “I cried. It’s like finding out your father died.”
One player said The Athletic indicated that he was surprised by Tomlin’s decision.
“You’re going to make me cry again,” she said, recalling the meeting. “I felt like the meeting was going to be completely different. When he said, ‘Some of us will be here and some of us won’t, that’s when I said, ‘Really, this guy is retiring?’
With the offseason underway in Pittsburgh, Rodgers must now decide his plans for next season. At 42 years old and without a contract, he could simply retire. He could also wait and see who the Steelers hire to replace Tomlin and decide if he wants to make it back to Pittsburgh or try elsewhere.
As for Tomlin, other NFL teams will surely be interested in his services. If you don’t want to train, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reports that TV networks will be lining up to add him to their broadcast team. Marchand says Fox would be the favorite to land Tomlin, but ESPN, NBC, CBS and Prime Video are also contenders.