The Pittsburgh Steelers’ promising start to the season is a distant memory right now. They’ve dropped three of their past four games to fall to 6-6, and the Baltimore Ravens are now in control of the division.
More than that, the fans may have reached a breaking point as well. They booed and called for Mike Tomlin to be fired during their 26-7 home loss to the Buffalo Bills, and the head coach’s future might be up in the air.
With that in mind, former Super Bowl-winning head coach Bruce Arians shared his two cents on this situation. Talking on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Arians urged Tomlin to pack his bags and start over somewhere else.
Bruce Arians wants Mike Tomlin to leave the Steelers
“Will Art [Rooney II] pull the trigger? I doubt very seriously. If I were Mike, I would want to get out and go somewhere new. Start over,” Arians said. “Some players get tired of the message, and you have to keep it fresh. Mike’s done a great job at keeping it fresh for years. I’m shocked watching our defense play. I’m totally shocked. Because talent’s not the issue. Something’s got to change, though. There has to be some kind of change. And the coordinator thing has happened like five times now.”
"If I were Mike Tomlin I would like to get out of Pittsburgh and start somewhere new..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 2, 2025
He has done a great job there for years but I'm totally shocked watching that Steelers defense"@BruceArians #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/wcTqPmPRKh
Tomlin has never had a losing season since he took the reins of the team 18 years ago. He also led them to two Super Bowls, winning one.
That being said, the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game in nearly a decade, and their once-dominant defense has been missing in action for a while now.
The Steelers rarely fire their coaches. They’ve only had 16 head coaches since the team’s foundation in 1933, and they’ve only had three coaches since 1969.
Even so, it might finally be time to move on from coach Tomlin, and vice versa. He’s a well-respected, defensive-minded coach who would probably land on his feet and get another job in the league almost right away, and the Steelers seem long overdue for a major overhaul.
Aaron Rodgers will most likely retire at the end of his age-40 season, and the team won’t have a high-enough draft pick to find his replacement. The timing is perfect for them to trade some of their stars, hit the drawing board, and start over, even if that means missing the playoffs for a couple of years.