The Pittsburgh Steelers 2024-2025 season is officially over, and it ended with a defiant thud with the black-and-gold dropping five straight games with another early playoff exit.

Fans are frustrated, which might be putting it mildly, but they want to know what is next for the franchise?

Where do the Steelers go from here?

This is the start of a multi-article series which outlines what I think, not what I know will happen with the Steelers moving forward from this lowly state. Where do we start? Where else, the coaching staff.

So, with that out of the way, where do the Steelers go with their coaching staff? Let me make something clear, I would be 100% okay with the team choosing to move on from Mike Tomlin. I’d be 100% fine with Tomlin wanting to move on or step away. But I also know it is highly unlikely the team would ever part ways with their head coach.

According to Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show, Tomlin is owed $16 million dollars a year with his new 3-year contract extension, and we know the Steelers aren’t fond of paying a coach to not do their job. There is a strong sect of the fan base who believes the Steelers might entertain trading Tomlin to gain valuable assets in return. However, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter Tomlin has a no-trade clause in his contract, which would make trading him almost impossible unless he wanted a specific opening and opportunity elsewhere.

With all that out of the way, what we all know would happen is likely to take place. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, the Steelers are planning on sticking with the same guy who has done the job since 2007.

Steelers don’t plan to move on from Mike Tomlin. https://t.co/JXsARlSh59

— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) January 12, 2025

Even if you are the most anti-Tomlin fan in the Steelers fan base, you had to know this was by far the likeliest outcome following the game. But that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be changes within the coaching staff, and here are the moves I would make if I were in charge. As I sated earlier, I’d be fine moving on from Tomlin, but since that isn’t likely to happen let’s focus on others on the staff.

The first move I’d make is to not just allow Arthur Smith to interview for head coaching vacancies, but I’d tell him he is permitted to seek employment of any kind elsewhere. There is a strong chance the Steelers will be looking at a different quarterback in 2025, and that means it is the perfect time to start fresh with a new coordinator. We’ll get to the roster in future articles, but Smith was a safe hire. His style doesn’t mesh with modern concepts, and it would be better for the team’s long-term future if they parted ways after 2024.

Speaking of coordinators, I’d also tell Teryl Austin we wish him nothing but the best moving forward, but his services are no longer needed in Pittsburgh. This seems like an obvious move, but I want to add how the new coordinator brought in would be given the freedom and permission to run their schemes. To call their style of defense, and not just an extension of Tomlin’s defense.

This leads me to the next change I would make within the coaching staff, and it has to do with Tomlin. If I’m Art Rooney II, and I’ve decided to bring Tomlin back, I’m sitting him down and telling him his role has to change within the team. He’s a master motivator, players like playing for him, but there is something lacking from the Xs and Os standpoint. If Tomlin has his hand in every aspect of the team, it’s time for him to take a step back. Time for Tomlin to take the CEO role with the team. Let his coaches coach their systems, and help when needed. If this aspect never happened, nothing will ever change on the defensive side of the ball.

After getting rid of both coordinators and having Tomlin accept a new role as the head coach, I’d make one more move which I feel would be much-needed. I’d tell Pat Meyer he is no longer employed by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meyer was a controversial hire after the Adrian Klemm experience went south, but he doesn’t deserve to remain in the role of offensive line coach anymore. The Steelers have invested heavily in the position. Let’s recap:

• Traded up for Broderick Jones in Round 1 of 2023
• Selected Troy Fautanu in Round 1 of 2024
• Drafted Zach Frazier in Round 2 of 2024
• Picked Mason McCormick in Round 4 of 2024

It’s time to get these young players the coaching they need, and deserve, to help them be the rock of the offense for years to come. Some will clamor for Mike Munchak, and I’d have no problem with him returning, his record speaks for itself, but a change is absolutely needed.

There might be some who want some other position coaches fired, and that might happen, but it won’t move the needle much for me. As an example, if the Steelers cut ties with Alfredo Roberts, the tight end coach, would it make a difference? Have the tight ends been so bad the team should find a new coach? Was it Roberts’ fault Pat Freiermuth dropped the first pass of the game? Again, if other moves are made, that’s fine, but it won’t register much for me.

However, the following moves which were outlined above must happen, in my opinion:

• Arthur Smith relieved of his duties
• Teryl Austin relieved of his duties
• Pat Meyer relieved of his duties
• Mike Tomlin’s role clearly outlined

These moves would hopefully bring a fresh outlook, and needed schematic change, on both sides of the ball, especially if the Steelers choose to go with a quarterback who might have a unique skill set in 2025. More on that tomorrow.

What changes would you make? Let us know in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the offseason.