In the immediate aftermath of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ playoff loss to the Houston Texans, head coach Mike Tomlin wasn’t ready to dive deep into any lingering questions about his future with the franchise.
When approached about the topic, Tomlin instead stated that his focus remains on the loss to the Texans and not the bigger picture, which he mentioned he wasn’t in a place to formally address.
“I’m not even in that mindset as I sit here tonight,” Tomlin said. “I’m more in the mindset of what transpired in this stadium and certainly what we did and didn’t do, not the big picture mentality as I sit here tonight.”
Steelers’ Postseason Losing Streak Continues
It felt as though Pittsburgh had some momentum pointing in its direction coming into the night, but it was abundantly clear that the Texans were the far superior team nearly in the contest.
Truthfully, the only reason the Steelers stuck around into the fourth quarter was the fact that C.J. Stroud turned the ball over three times and thus squandered multiple opportunities for the Texans.
In the end, though, Houston prevailed by a score of 30-6 and outgained Pittsburgh on offense by 233 yards and sacked Aaron Rodgers four times while also logging 12 quarterback hits.
The boo birds came raining down from the fans in the Acrisure Stadium stands, and there were a few ‘fire Tomlin’ chants mixed in as the Steelers headed for yet another early playoff exit, which has become all too familiar in these parts.
Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin before an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
What’s Next for Tomlin?
It’ll likely take a little bit of time for the dust to settle in Pittsburgh, but all eyes are on Tomlin and what’s to come for the future Hall of Famer.
It’s been repeatedly reported that the Steelers aren’t going to outright fire him with one year left on his contract and a team option remaining for the 2027 campaign. Tomlin, however, could theoretically choose to step aside and explore his outside options.
While appearing on the “Rich Eisen Show” last week, Tomlin quieted any rumors of him taking a job as a TV analyst and vowed his devotion to coaching in the process.
“I’m institutionalized, man,” Tomlin said. “I gotta have it. I just love the challenges week in and week out that this job provides: the growth in it, the collective growth, the individual growth. A lot of lessons I’ve learned in life has been through my football experiences. I’ve been on a team eery year of my life, man, since 1980.”
💻 @CoachTomlin
Asked the @steelers head coach his reaction to the stunning news Tuesday of his long-time rival John Harbaugh being fired in Baltimore and his own future in Pittsburgh:#NFL #HereWeGo #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/gCvTjtZR0m
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) January 7, 2026
A strong argument can be made that the Steelers need to go in a new direction, but they’d likely have to be pushed in that direction by Tomlin going elsewhere rather than actively doing so by firing him.
Tomlin has left an excellent legacy in Pittsburgh as one of the winningest coaches in league history, and he’d have shortage of opportunities should he step away from the Steelers.
It remains to be seen if he’ll actually leave the organization after 19 seasons, though, and his decision will ultimately shape the entire offseason in Pittsburgh.
