Tony Gonzalez fuels speculation on Mike Tomlin's future with Steelers following loss to Ravens

One of the most amazing stats in football is Mike Tomlin‘s ability to finish a season at least .500. In 18 years as the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Tomlin has never produced a losing record. But the regular season success has not translated in the playoffs recently, not advancing in the postseason since 2017.

Some fans have begun to grow upset and now, Tony Gonzalez is adding to the speculation. During the Amazon Prime postgame show, he said Tomlin may need a change of scenery. Similar to a move Andy Reid pulled while struggling to break through with Philadelphia, Gonzalez believes that could be beneficial for Tomlin.

“We talked about it in the preseason game,” Gonzalez said postgame. “Mike Tomlin’s team coming out and getting throttled like this again. I said there was whispers and I got little texts like, ‘What do you mean whispers?’ I’m not saying the F-word. I’m not saying you fire Mike Tomlin.

“What I’m saying is maybe a change of scenery, Andy Reid style, had so much success up there in Philly and then went to Kansas City and started a dynasty. This would be something that would be mutually agreed upon if Mike Tomlin were to get a job somewhere else, and he’d get a job right away.”

Pittsburgh is not a franchise to move on from a head coach. In its history, dating to the early 1930s, they have only had 16 guys in charge.

Going back to when Chuck Noll was hired in 1969, there have only been three. Noll is joined by Tomlin and Bill Cowher. Five and a half decades for the Steelers and only three head coaches with six Super Bowls between them.

If Tomlin were to hit the open market, he would instantly become one of the most sought-after coaches on the market. Teams would do anything for the kind of consistency he has brought to Pittsburgh, banking on him finding a way to win some playoff games.

The Steelers would likely be an incredibly desirable job for others too.

Nothing has been decided and there might not be any movement this offseason. But if Tomlin were to ask Gonzalez for advice, it might be to find somewhere else to rejuvenize his career for another shot at a ring.