Host says Steelers should break up with Mike Tomlin if they can’t give him elite quarterback

Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky. Those are the Steelers quarterbacks who’ve started games since Ben Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season.

Wilson will get the nod again this week for Pittsburgh (10-7), which backs into the playoffs having lost four consecutive games entering its wild-card game at Baltimore (12-5) on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, Prime Video). And should the Steelers lose a fifth straight, what’s next? If Pittsburgh doesn’t go out and get an elite quarterback for Mike Tomlin, Evan Cohen thinks it’s ultimatum time.

“If they’re going to keep doing that, then they actually are better to break up,” Cohen said Wednesday morning on Unsportsmanlike. “Because Mike Tomlin is too good to get great. And that’s the problem. I know that sounds odd, but again let me explain this. Mike Tomlin is too good of a coach with whoever you give him a quarterback where they never put themselves with the opportunity to get a great quarterback.”

Adam Schefter reported Sunday morning on Sunday NFL Countdown that should Pittsburgh lose on Saturday in Baltimore, there’s an expectation that other teams will approach Steelers president Art Rooney II about acquiring Tomlin for draft-choice compensation. Many fans in Pittsburgh are reportedly ready to move on from Tomlin, who’s never had a losing season in 18 years as Steelers head coach. The franchise has had only three head coaches since 1969: Tomlin, Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll.

After the 2012 season, the Eagles came to a crossroads with Andy Reid, their head coach since 1999. Reid went to Kansas City and immediately strung together 12 straight winning seasons with the Chiefs. Since Kansas City traded up to select Patrick Mahomes in the first round of the 2017 draft, Kansas City has won three Super Bowls and four AFC titles.

If moving up in the 2025 draft to get a quarterback doesn’t make sense for Pittsburgh, due to limited capital and limited first-round selection, the Steelers could easily move on from Wilson. They’re paying Wilson the veteran minimum, $1.21 million on a one-year contract, while Denver is still absorbing the bulk of his compensation. Could Pittsburgh go after a veteran free agent such as Sam Darnold, should he hit free agency, or could Aaron Rodgers serve as a bridge to a second-round quarterback such as Jalen Milroe?

Rodgers to Pittsburgh could make sense, especially with Davante Adams, because the Steelers have an established locker room, a solid defense and a veteran culture. As they say in the business, this situation bears watching.

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