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Steelers legend James Harrison suggests Pittsburgh should fire Mike Tomlin: 'Something has to be done'

Meby: Nick Geddes12/02/25NickGeddesNews

James Harrison spent the majority of his 15-year NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. From 2007-12 and again from 2014-17, he played under head coach Mike Tomlin. Harrison was a major part of Tomlin’s Super Bowl winning squad in 2008, the same year he was named AP Defensive Player of the Year.

There’s great history between the two, yes, but that isn’t stopping Harrison from saying what he believes needs to be said. Harrison made an appearance on Monday’s “Deebo and Joe” podcast following Pittsburgh’s 26-7 Week 13 home defeat to the Buffalo Bills. Harrison said the current coaching staff isn’t getting players to play up to or beyond their potential. He added he never thought that Tomlin was a “great coach.”

“I have never been a person that thought Coach Tomlin was a great coach,” Harrison said. “I thought he was a good… I’ll be honest, part of that is because, when I was slated to be the starter when Joey [Porter] left, he drafted, one and two, outside linebackers.

“Right now, we have coaches on this staff. When I say coaches, I’m saying this: a coach is someone that tells you what to do, and it doesn’t matter if what they’re telling you to do is right or wrong. A good coach gets you to play to your potential. And right now, the players we have on that team I have seen play; they’re not playing up to their potential. A great coach gets you to play beyond your potential.”

Would the Steelers actually fire Mike Tomlin? James Harrison believes they should

Pittsburgh got off to a 4-1 start but has now dropped to 6-6 and further out of playoff contention. And during the fourth quarter of their latest loss, Steelers fans inside Acrisure Stadium started a “Fire Tomlin” chant.

Tomlin, 53, has been Pittsburgh’s head coach since the 2007 season. This is year 19 of what has been a successful run for Tomlin in the Steel City. The Steelers are well over .600 under his leadership. Pittsburgh under Tomlin has finished .500 or better in every season.

The Steelers, however, have not won a playoff game since the 2016 season. That’s nearly a decade, and this season doesn’t look to be promising in snapping that streak. This is a franchise which has six Lombardi trophies, and they haven’t been close to reaching that level in some time. Tomlin signed a three-year contract extension prior to the 2024 season. He is under contract through the 2027 season.

The Steelers have had just three head coaches since 1969. Simply put, this is an organization that doesn’t fire coaches. Harrison, however, believes it’s time for history to be made.

“Something has to be done, and I know the Steelers historically don’t move on from coaches. But I think it’s time that history be made,” Harrison said. “Because right now, the only history we’re making is being the worst Pittsburgh Steelers team statistically almost in the history of the organization.”