Rooney Family Breaks Silence On Mike Tomlin's Recent Failure With The Steelers: "All Of Us Are Responsible"

The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't seen any postseason success since the 2016 season, and the fan base has grown extremely frustrated during that time. After an embarrassing first-round loss to the Baltimore Ravens during the 2024 season, many fans are calling for major change within the organization. Head Coach Mike Tomlin was ridiculed endlessly, as the philosophy of the team and how it operates has been scrutinized. It seems like the Steelers are years behind the rest of the NFL with Tomlin at the helm, and fans want to see changes.

In addition to the blame being thrown at Tomlin, other high-ranking members of the organization have been thrown into the fire as well. General Manager Omar Khan has been questioned for some of his roster decisions, and the Rooney family's conservative mindset when it comes to running the organization is growing old. Jim Rooney recently went on the Ross Tucker Football Podcast, where he gave his thoughts on the current state of the Steelers and Tomlin.

"I think it's an organization issue, not just Mike," Rooney said. "I think all of us are responsible for the outcomes, but I think we take responsibility. I don't want to get into excuse making, but the reality is we outperform the NFL mean at a greater rate than just about any team for the last 25 years. I think if this was a boxing match and you were judging the competition, not just looking at the winning percentage, you would say that we have performed in a harder circumstance than most and outperformed them."

Rooney did not get into the details of what he believes the organizational issue is, but there is a chance he doesn't even know. He is the brother of Art Rooney II, but he is not directly involved with the organization in the same way that his brother is. Instead, Jim is a writer and public speaker that tells the story of Dan Rooney, who is his father.

Steelers' Art Rooney II looks on before a game in Pittsburgh.

Fans in Pittsburgh are tired of hearing about how successful the Steelers have been during the 21st century. The bottom line is, regular season success doesn't mean anything if the team cannot win in the playoffs. That is the exact case of what is happening with the Steelers. Maybe the organization would be able to bring in more talent if the team was able to take a year or two off of just barely having a non-losing record, and instead aim for a higher draft pick. Jim continued to speak about the organization's struggles.

"Having said that, I understand no one wants to lose playoff games," Rooney said. "The goal is to win the Super Bowl, and you have to get to there. You have to get to playoff games, which we do well, and you have to win playoff games, which we haven't."

This is exactly why none of the regular season success matters in Pittsburgh. The organization is extremely consistent, but it hasn't been to a Super Bowl since the 2010 season. The 2025 season could mark the ninth-straight season that the Steelers have not won a playoff game. Those are not marks of a successful organization.

Steelers Team President Art Rooney II (left) and Head Coach Mike Tomlin (right) oversee practice during the 2021 minicamp in Pittsburgh.

Steelers Refuse To Make Meaningful Changes

It seems as though Tomlin could be the head coach in Pittsburgh for however long he chooses to be. Although no other coach in today's NFL would be able to go eight consecutive seasons without a playoff win and keep their job. The coach has only won a playoff game in five of his 18 seasons.

Fans want to see change, but none is likely coming. The only way this team will get better is if it gets saved by an influx of talent, which makes the 2025 offseason extremely important.