Mike Tomlin took over the Steelers in 2007 and has never had a losing season as a head coach, putting together 19 straight years at 500 or better and 190 regular season wins through 2025, a run no other coach has matched to start a career. This streak is so normal in Pittsburgh that eight, nine, and ten wins now get the same reaction as taking out the trash, everyone expects it and nobody is impressed until someone else has to do it.
He has a Super Bowl win from the 2008 season and another Super Bowl appearance after the 2010 season, plus eleven double digit win seasons, and yet the joke every year is that he is somehow on the hot seat because his team only finished ten and seven with a quarterback room held together by duct tape and caffeine (except when Big Ben was there).
In an era where other franchises cycle through coaches faster than fantasy lineups, the Steelers have watched Tomlin stack winning season after winning season, while his roster swings from Hall of Fame quarterback to backup level placeholders, and he still finds a way to sneak into the playoff race.
Where does that put him all time, his 190 wins rank second among active coaches behind Andy Reid and around the top ten in NFL history, and he has done it without bouncing between organizations or hand picking super teams, just steady competence and a defense that always seems vaguely annoyed at the idea of giving up points. The postseason record is closer to mortal, eight wins and multiple one and done exits, but the combination of longevity, consistency, and a locker room that never fully unravels in a league designed for chaos makes a strong case that he belongs in the top tier of coaches.
Is he top ten all time, with names like Belichick, Lombardi, Walsh, Parcells, Shula, Reid, and Noll floating around the conversation, that is a high bar, but nineteen straight winning seasons in the salary cap era with one franchise is a resume line nobody else can match, and that uniqueness is exactly what nudges him into that top five argument.
At minimum he is already one of the greatest modern coaches, and if the Steelers ever pair his consistency with another true franchise quarterback, the jokes may stop and the ring count may start climbing again, though knowing Tomlin he will probably shrug and say he just expected to win anyway.
This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Tomlin, Steelers Extend Winning Streak to 19 Straight Seasons
