The aftermath of the Steelers' latest quick playoff exit has already prompted T.J. Watt to demand the franchise take a hard look at itself in 2025.
Some believe that includes considering making a change at the top, and head coach Mike Tomlin was asked about the outside questioning of his job security on Tuesday.
"I have no response to that. I understand the nature of what it is that we do," Tomlin told reporters. "The attention and criticism that comes with that. As a matter of fact, I embrace it. I enjoy the urgency that comes with what I do and what we do. I don't make excuses for failure. I own it. But I also feel like I'm capable.
"As long as I'm afforded the opportunity to do that, I will continue. But I certainly understand the frustrations, and probably more importantly than that, I share it. Because that's how I'm wired. I'm not a big-time comfort seeker, and particularly in circumstances such as this, I don't view myself as a comfort provider because words are hollow. It's about what we do and less about what we say."
Tomlin also ended any potential talk that a team could trade for his services, telling any hypothetical club on Tuesday to "save your time."
Tomlin, who signed a three-year extension prior to the 2024 season, has held his job in Pittsburgh since 2007, won two AFC titles in his first four years and took home a Lombardi Trophy in just his second season. Since then, the Steelers have won just three playoff games, with their last coming in the 2016 season.
That was a long time ago. Despite his excellent overall record (183-107-2 in 18 years), if you polled the average Steelers fan nowadays, the best they could say about Tomlin is he's never posted a losing season.
They're tired of watching their team show potential to chase a title, then fizzle in the postseason. Tomlin delivered some encouraging news to them Tuesday: He's tired of it too.
"I have a cliché that the guys oftentimes throwback at me in jest: Two is a pattern. I say that because there's an expiration date on adjusting and adapting," Tomlin said. "I use that phrase to reflect urgency. To reflect how quickly we need to adjust and adapt and move. … Although we've had similar results, rest assured that we're not doing the same things and hoping for a different result. We have adapted. We have altered our approach and we will continue because we're not getting what we seek -- and that's the confetti game, is to be world champs.
"Our goals are really clear. It's also really clear that we're falling short of it, and we're falling short of it in a consistent way. We're still going to be open to adapting."
Such adaptation will first require Tomlin to unpack why his team lost five straight games to end the season. Fingers can point in a number of directions. Quaterback Russell Wilson failed to elevate the offense in the final month of the season. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's play-calling deserved to be criticized. Their once-feared defense collapsed in epic fashion, allowing the Ravens to rush for 299 yards as a team in their Wild Card Round win over the Steelers on Saturday.
Tomlin said he's "unearthing" why the Steelers' entire operation eroded into an uncompetitive state by the end of the season. He also stressed he's been making changes in an effort to produce a better final result and remains open to further adjustments.
Just don't suggest the adjustment needs to include his job. If anything, the Steelers could benefit from taking a look around the ąú˛úÍâÁ÷Ířand reviewing the tenures of most coaches in this league. Tomlin is an elder statesman because he's proven his skill as a coach, including piloting lesser Steelers teams to the postseason amid significant adversity.
Sure, he hasn't won in the playoffs in recent years, but he also led a team that tried to solve its quarterback situation with the combination of Wilson and Justin Fields to a 10-win season. If anything, Tomlin's track record would suggest he needs more time for GM Omar Khan to supply him with some personnel upgrades.
That is, as long as Tomlin still captures the attention of the locker room.
"I don't worry about messaging resonating," Tomlin said. "I speak with great clarity and transparency. I've learned that over a long time at this level. I know what works and what doesn't. That component of it is probably less of a concern. More strategic things and other discussions that dictate outcome. Messaging is such a small component of it, what it is that we do."
Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North gave the football world a great look at how Tomlin runs his team and the quality and content of the messages he delivers. Motivation shouldn't be an issue for the Steelers.
Nonetheless, Tomlin was asked if the culture in Pittsburgh has shifted given how the past few seasons have ended.
"That fact that we're communicating today in that manner in which we're communicating is bothersome to me," Tomlin said on Tuesday. "I'm open to addressing any component of it."
Tomlin will be forced to answer these questions for the foreseeable future. The only way to properly respond is by winning in 2025.
