Steelers rumor from ESPN leaves door open for Mike Tomlin's departure

The Pittsburgh Steelers won the AFC North with a win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18 and will host the Houston Texans in Round 1 of the playoffs, but head coach Mike Tomlin's future is still a hot topic of discussion.

Tomlin is the longest-tenured head coach in football, as he has spent 19 years in Pittsburgh, which have all been winning seasons. However, due to the franchise's lack of playoff success over the last decade, Tomlin has been under fire, and his future with the Steelers has also come into question as a result.

Though Pittsburgh and Tomlin are preparing for a postseason game on Monday, the head coach's future with the team is once again in the spotlight.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said he spoke to a source close to Tomlin, and there's a possibility he steps away from coaching the Steelers to find a role on TV.

Here is what Fowler had to say:

"Mike Tomlin's future has been hotly debated of late. There is no firm evidence as of now that Tomlin would leave Pittsburgh after 19 seasons. He's been fiercely loyal to Pittsburgh. But a source close to Tomlin believes stepping away is at least a possibility. Does he need a break? It's a question that hasn't quite gone away, though only Tomlin truly knows what he will do. The source believes Tomlin would be more intrigued by doing TV than returning to the coaching market, should he leave the Steelers. The source wonders what Tomlin has left to chase as an NFL coach."

However, Fowler also reported that another source he talked to with a connection to Tomlin is confident he'll remain with the Steelers.

"A separate source with ties to Tomlin is confident he will stay in Pittsburgh," Fowler added.

Tomlin is a Steelers legend who always finds a way to win no matter the circumstance, but it's been clear for years that Pittsburgh needs to head in a different direction. The Steelers haven't won a playoff game since the 2016 season, and have a bunch of late-season collapses over the last few seasons that Tomlin deserves blame for.

We'll see what the future holds for Tomlin and the Steelers. If he decides to step away or Pittsburgh moves on, it would be a franchise-altering day in the Steel City.