Mike Tomlin is the longest-tenured head coach in the league, and he’s never had a losing season. He’s been winning games longer than other NFL head coaches have had their jobs.
Not that Steelers fans need reminded of that. And without any playoff success to go along with it, they’ve grown tired of hearing about the streak. Former NFL offensive lineman Mark Schlereth doesn’t think we’ll be hearing of Tomlin’s winning-season streak for much longer.
“The law of averages is eventually gonna catch ya,” Schlereth said Tuesday on FS1’s Breakfast Ball. “I mean, I know the whole, ‘Mike Tomlin’s never had a losing season’, but come on. Mason Rudolph and Skyler Thompson right now? Like, eventually it’s gonna catch you. Eventually you’re gonna have to pay the piper.”
Tomlin’s certainly flirted with ending the streak in recent years. It was never a worry in 2024, with the Steelers jumping out to a 10-3 record. However, things flamed out as the season came to an end, which has unfortunately become something of a yearly tradition in Pittsburgh.
It does feel like Rodgers will eventually become a Steeler, although this offseason is a clear indication that he’s going to take his time.
With that said, you can’t blame anyone who feels pessimistic about the position. Russell Wilson, an aging veteran, failed to fix any of the Steelers’ offensive woes in 2024. They then let their only young, promising option in Justin Fields sign a deal with the New York Jets. Is Aaron Rodgers, who will turn 42 next season, that much of an upgrade?
It doesn’t look like the Steelers have any other options. Their in-house choices, Mason Rudolph and Skyler Thompson, don’t offer much inspiration, as Schlereth alludes to.
Part of the reason the Steelers are even in this position is due to Tomlin’s winning streak. Some would say he’s constantly overachieving, especially through the last five years in which the Steelers haven’t had any sort of consistent QB play. Due to that, the Steelers just haven’t had a chance to land one of the top QBs in the draft in recent years. While some say Tomlin is overachieving, other’s blame him for the Steelers’ QB situation in the first place.
The position hasn’t been handled as well as the Steelers would have hoped this offseason, to say the least, so maybe breaking the streak would be a good thing. It’s a dangerous game to play but ending up in the top half of the draft, especially in a talented 2026 QB class, could finally give the Steelers a chance to land their franchise QB.
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