The Big Picture: Time for Steelers to Move On From Mike Tomlin, Aaron Rodgers

Editor's Note: Mike Tomlin and the Steelers agreed to part ways Tuesday afternoon.

ACRISURE STADIUM (Pittsburgh) — There are very few storybook endings in sports, even though that’s what everyone is always chasing. Mostly there are just athletes, coaches and franchises chasing past glories for far too long, holding on until even their memories start to crash and burn.

That’s what Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin experienced Monday night. Their humiliating, soul-crushing, 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans in an AFC wild-card game was more than just a sad and bitter end to a season. If that was it for both of them in Pittsburgh, it was an unfitting and inglorious end, too.

But make no mistake: For the good of the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise, and the good of both of their legacies, it needs to be the end.

It’s not fair, of course, and there’s no real way around that. Tomlin has had an amazing, 19-year run in Pittsburgh that has included 13 trips to the playoffs, eight division titles, two Super Bowl appearances, one championship and not a single losing season. He deserves better than the "Fire Tomlin!" chants that again echoed around his home stadium. And he’d deserve better than an awkwardly worded press release about how he and the organization decided to "mutually part ways".

And Rodgers, indisputably one of the greatest quarterbacks in history, who just defied the odds and age and dragged a flawed Steelers team to the playoffs, deserves to call his shot and go out when he decides he’s done playing. He doesn’t deserve to be replaced by some unproven quarterback with half his ability and who's half his age.

But holding out for their ultimate happy endings will only hurt this once-proud franchise. The Rooney family and general manager Omar Khan can’t settle for a team that hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season. They’ve lost seven straight postseason games in that span — the longest active streak in the NFL — and have trailed by at least 21 points in every game. And they just became the first franchise to lose five straight playoff games by double-digit margins.

Mike Tomlin has yet to have a losing season in Pittsburgh. But he also hasn't won when in January in years. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

With a record like that, they can’t put their faith again in a battered, 42-year-old quarterback. And they can’t go back to a coach who no longer wins when it matters most, and whose voice and ability sure is starting to feel stale.

"You know, when you hear conversation about the Mike Tomlins of the world, Matt LaFleurs of the world (in Green Bay), those are just two that I've played for," Rodgers said. "When I first got in the league, there wouldn't be conversation about whether those guys were on the ‘hot seat.’ 

"But the way that the league is covered now, and the way that there's snap decisions, and the validity given to the Twitter experts and all the experts on TV now who make it seem like they know what the hell they're talking about, to me that's an absolute joke."

Maybe so. And Rodgers can blame the media and the state of society all he wants. He’s earned that right. But it’s not like the Steelers haven’t given this a chance. It’s not a "snap decision" to part with a coach after 19 seasons or to move on from the oldest quarterback in the league — certainly not after another uncompetitive playoff loss. The goal should be more than a successful regular season, especially for a franchise with six Super Bowl trophies on display.

And while Rodgers has only been part of this for one year, the year was pretty telling. He was remarkable for his age, exceeding all expectations by throwing for 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns in the regular season and somehow staying healthy enough to make all but one start. The Steelers won games with him as their quarterback that they had no business winning, given the rest of the talent (or lack thereof) that they had.

But those are still pretty mediocre numbers and his weaknesses were clear. His mobility is gone. His arm strength is diminished. His preternatural ability to create plays out of nothing is nowhere near what it once was. That was all on sad display against the Texans.

It’s not going to get any better next season as he turns 43.

Aaron Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks of all time. But his best is far behind him. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

So, what’s the upside to bringing Rodgers and Tomlin back? Maybe watch them squeeze out another 9-10 wins if they get some breaks, maybe even get to the playoffs again? There’s no sign that, together, they’re capable of more. The arrow on their futures isn’t pointing up.

No, time has caught up with both of them, and if they can’t see it for themselves, then the Steelers have to do the smart thing, and refuse to let them hang on until their time completely runs out. It’s what the Baltimore Ravens just did after 18 mostly successful seasons under John Harbaugh. It's what the New England Patriots had to do with legendary coach Bill Belichick two years ago — and just look at the Pats now.

It took them an additional bad year to find Belichick’s replacement in Mike Vrabel. It took them four years to find a worthy replacement for Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady, too. It was painful, but all necessary.

It was the only way of preventing a once-great franchise from diving into an inescapable rut. It's also why New England is now the No. 2 seed in the AFC.

Tomlin, of course, wasn’t interested in any such talk in the moments immediately following a familiar playoff outcome. 

"I'm not in the big-picture perspective," he said. "I don't think about the totality of it. You pour everything that you have into these performances and what goes on. I probably couldn't articulate an appropriate answer relative to big picture things."

His players couldn’t, or wouldn’t, either. They praised Rodgers as a teammate. Veteran defensive lineman Cam Heyward said: "I’m very thankful I got to play with him." 

And over the past few weeks, as Tomlin’s seat heated up, they all had similar praise for their embattled coach.

"Mike T. has had more success than damn near anybody in the league for the last 19, 20 years," Rodgers said Monday. "More than that, though, when you have the right guy and the culture is right, you don't think about making a change."

But in sports, the results matter more than the culture. And like it or not, the Steelers’ results for more than a decade now haven’t been good enough. Tomlin knows it. He’s not going to defend what everyone can see.

"When you don't get it done, words are cheap," he said. "It's about what you do or you don't do. People talk too much in our business. You either do or you don't."

Lately, the Steelers don’t. That’s why, right now, despite not having a losing season since 2003, they are a franchise in desperate need of a reset, as painful as that might be. And it could be painful, at least in the short term. There are no promises of a quick fix or better coaches and players ahead. They’ve been searching for their next Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback since before Big Ben retired four years ago. And as successful as they’ve been at hiring head coaches over the past 57 years, there’s no guarantee that their next coach will be another Tomlin or Bill Cowher or Chuck Noll. 

Chuck Noll won four Super Bowls in six seasons. But Pittsburgh didn't play in a Super Bowl over his final 12 seasons. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

But it’s time to find out if they can do it, to take their shot at building a better future instead of grasping at straws from the past. It may not work right away, but what they’re doing right now isn’t working either. And if they don’t try, they’re just fooling themselves that their old magic will simply reappear.

Because it won’t. There will be more sad endings, more fan anger directed at Tomlin, more pity for a Rodgers who surely will continue to break down. And then the resentment will build even stronger as two all-time greats drag down this franchise even further. There’s no reason for anyone to endure that.

The time has come to say goodbye and cherish the memories, while the memories are still enjoyable. Rodgers can go off to a darkness retreat or a camel ride and count the days until his Hall of Fame induction. And Tomlin can take a year off to catch his breath if he wants, or go rediscover himself with another franchise desperate for the kind of leadership he brings, where everything he does will feel fresh.

And then the Steelers can be reborn, and get their own fresh start. There’s a bright future for all parties here if they’re willing to embrace it.

They just need the courage to let go of the past.

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

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