Mike Tomlin may be gone from the Steelers’ sideline, but he is not gone from Steelers Nation.
That much was clear when the former Pittsburgh coach appeared on the New Heights podcast and addressed the idea that he might be showing too much black-and-gold loyalty now that he’s working as an NFL analyst. Tomlin didn’t dodge it, and he didn’t try to pretend otherwise.
"To be honest with ya, I don't care if I do," he said. "How can you be somewhere 19 years, man, and had really a personal stake in most of the guys being there and not care for 'em?
Not root for 'em? Not be for 'em?
I'm not gonna pretend that I'm not. I can't do that.
Certainly, I got a job to do and I'm gonna do it. But everybody knows where my heart is and where my support is, and I'm not apologizing for that."
That answer fits the reality of where things stand in Pittsburgh. Tomlin’s 19-year run as head coach ended after the 2025 season, and the Steelers have now moved on to Mike McCarthy. Through the first five games, Pittsburgh is 3-2 entering Week 6.
It hasn’t been spotless, but there are signs of progress. The Steelers are 3-0 at home, and the offense has looked a little better than it did early on. After an impressive win over the Indianapolis Colts, there’s at least a sense that some of the early rough edges could be fading.
Even so, the first season without Tomlin has come with the kind of emotional tug that’s hard to avoid. Pittsburgh misses the person he is, and Tomlin clearly still feels connected to the place. At the same time, both sides are looking ahead rather than backward.
Tomlin, for his part, does not sound like someone itching to get back into the head coaching grind. He described his new role as "part-time work" for "full-time pay," and despite the chatter that the NFL would like him back on a sideline, he seems content calling games on Sunday Night Football.
That leaves McCarthy with the task Tomlin no longer has: proving he can settle the Steelers into a new era. The front office brought him in to help end Pittsburgh’s decade-long playoff win drought, and if he gets there, trust from the fanbase should follow for the rest of his contract.
If he doesn’t, the comparisons to Tomlin will only get louder.
For now, the Steelers are still learning what life looks like without their longtime coach. And Tomlin, from his new perch, is making one thing obvious: he may have a different job, but he’s still very much a Steelers fan.
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Jerome Bettis was central to it in more ways than one, giving the offense a spark on a day when points were hard to find. The Steelers went on to finish 13-3, win the division and claim the AFCs top seed, a run that made that afternoon in Tampa feel even more meaningful in hindsight. [Read more 🡒]