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By Andrew McCarty
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Following a blowout 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers rebuffed any notion the team should move on from head coach Mike Tomlin.
"Mike T. has had more success than damn near anybody in the league for the last 19, 20 years," Rodgers said. "And more than that, though, when you have the right guy and the culture is right, you don't think about making a change, but there's a lot of pressure that comes from the outside and obviously that sways decisions from time to time. But it's not how I would do things and not how the league used to be."
His comments came after the team made NFL history as the only team to lose five straight playoff games by double digits. Just hours later, Tomlin stepped down as the Steelers head coach, according to multiple reports.
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In the weeks leading up to Tomlin's decision to step down the Steelers were already lining up his replacement. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer revealed the team had already done some homework on potential replacements if Tomlin were to step away.
"The Steelers, Ravens and Bills have generated conversation in recent weeks. Is there any reality to it? I don’t think these would be firings," wrote Breer. "But there is some thought that Mike Tomlin could look at a reset, with the Pittsburgh roster potentially going through one soon too, and take a year or two in TV before returning to the sideline. And interestingly enough, (Chris) Shula’s name has been connected to the Steelers, in case there is an opening."
The Athletic's Dianna Russini previously revealed the Steelers have also done their homework on Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, who announced his plans to return to the Fighting Irish for the 2026 season after hearing from two NFL teams.
"The Giants, Titans and Browns all had internal discussions about Freeman, as did the Pittsburgh Steelers (in the event longtime coach Mike Tomlin decided to step away)," she wrote.
Tomlin steps down from his role as the Steelers head coach with a 193-114-2 regular season record and an 8-12 playoff record - with seven straight losses.
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