Mike Tomlin has been the Pittsburgh Steelers’ coach since taking over for Bill Cowher in 2007. Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is among those wondering whether both Tomlin and the team might benefit from a split.
Roethlisberger – who spent 15 of his 18 NFL seasons playing for Tomlin – spoke about the possibility of the Steelers making changes in an episode of his ‘Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger’ podcast.
‘Maybe it’s a clean-house time. Maybe it’s time,’ Roethlisberger said in the Dec. 2 episode. ‘I like Coach Tomlin. I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin, but maybe it’s best for him, too.’
Roethlisberger went onto outline that his opinion stems from his frustrations watching the Steelers over the last few seasons. He noted the offense has struggled to perform consistently under several different coordinators while Pittsburgh’s defense – which is the highest-paid in the NFL – has also been up-and-down in 2025.
Roethlisberger also floated an idea of what could be next for Tomlin if the 53-year-old coach does leave Pittsburgh.
‘Maybe a fresh start for him is what’s best,’ Roethlisberger said. ‘Whether that’s in the pros, maybe go be Penn State’s head coach. You know what he would do in Penn State? He would probably go win national championships, because he’s a great recruiter.’
Roethlisberger’s suggestion comes as Penn State has struggled to land a replacement for James Franklin, who was fired after 12 seasons following a 3-3 start to the 2025 campaign. The Nittany Lions have targeted several top names, including a recent failed pursuit of BYU coach Kalani Sitake, but have not yet landed a new coach.
It isn’t clear whether such an option would appeal to Tomlin should he and the Steelers part ways. The 53-year-old has not coached at the collegiately level since the 2000 season, during which he was a defensive backs coach at Cincinnati under Rick Minter.
And Roethlisberger also made it clear any split between Tomlin and the Steelers would have to come mutually.
‘Here’s what you don’t do: you don’t fire a guy like Coach Tomlin,’ Roethlisberger said. ‘He’s a Hall of Fame coach, he’s respected. What you do is you come to an understanding and agreement, and it’s like, ‘Hey, listen, I think it’s probably best for both of us.”
‘You go, ‘Hey Coach, listen, it’s probably best for all parties involved, let’s start over,” he later added. ‘It happened with Chuck Noll, it happened with Coach Cowher.’
Tomlin has posted a 189-113-2 record to date across his 19 seasons with the Steelers. He is just the third coach the team has had since 1969, has never had a losing season and helped the team to win Super Bowl 43.
However, the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 NFL playoffs (contested in January of 2017). That’s why many, including Roethlisberger, believe a fresh perspective could benefit the Steelers.
‘Coach Tomlin’s been here a long time,’ he added. ‘You’d give him a statue, do whatever you’ve got to do, because he deserves it, he’s earned it. But it’s time to find that next guy. Who’s that next guy that could be here for the next 20 years?’