The 2024 season brought a lot of promise for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They made several improvements, looking poised to win a playoff game for the first time since 2016. Unfortunately, they could not achieve that goal. While they did make the postseason, they lost their final four regular season games, capped off with another blowout playoff loss. Despite that, Steelers owner Art Rooney II believes Mike Tomlin will lead the team back to postseason success.
“I don’t think you win as many games in this league as Mike [Tomlin] has won and not be a good coach,” Rooney told Ashley Liotus of WTAE-TV Pittsburgh on Thursday. “The fact that we haven’t had success in the postseason, that’s something that I think will come with Mike.
“We’ve been in the hunt every year and have made the playoffs most of the time that he’s been here. It’s unfortunate that we haven’t been able to take that next step. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Rooney’s reassurance doesn’t mean much in the face of all the Steelers’ playoff failures. Tomlin likes to say that the standard is the standard, but does that mean simply making the playoffs? For the Steelers, it should mean competing for championships, but they haven’t been close to that recently. Rooney seems comfortable with just being in the hunt every year, but fans certainly are not.
It feels like the Steelers are stuck. Every season for the past few years has felt the same. People doubt them, they win a string of games and secure a non-losing season, then they begin to falter down the stretch, ending by either just missing the playoffs or getting dominated in the first round. That cycle is getting old.
Based on all of Rooney’s recent comments, it doesn’t sound like he agrees with that sentiment. The Steelers probably need to make some changes if they want to actually fight for a Super Bowl, yet they’ve been slow to act.
That’s not to say that Tomlin needs to be fired. He’s been one of the best coaches in the NFL, and he isn’t the team’s only problem. However, he is the leading man, and much of the responsibility for this pattern falls on him. What makes Rooney think 2025 will be any different than 2024?
Maybe things will improve when the Steelers find their next franchise quarterback, but there’s no telling when that will happen. Tomlin was part of the leadership that thought Kenny Pickett would be Ben Roethlisberger’s successor. That proved to be untrue.
Tomlin is a good coach, and the Steelers haven’t been good enough under him recently. Both of those things can be true. The Steelers shouldn’t be satisfied with just being in the middle of the pack every year. They’re one of the most prestigious franchises in the NFL, but they haven’t looked like the best version of themselves in some time. Rooney believes playoff success will come in time, but at this point, seeing is believing.
