Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t won a playoff game in eight seasons, and the team has turned into the definition of mediocre over the last few seasons.

Though the Steelers continue to post winning seasons under Tomlin, the group can never find success in the postseason. Though the unstable quarterback position deserves some blame for Pittsburgh’s playoff struggles, Tomlin also deserves some heat.

The long-time Steelers coach is beloved by many in the media and by his players. However, CBS Sports’ NFL insider Aditi Kinkhabwala threw some cold water on that belief.

During an appearance on Pittsburgh’s 93.7 The Fan on Wednesday, Kinkhabwala stated that many former players don’t have the best experiences with Tomlin.

“I’ll just say this without violating anybody’s trust. There are many, many former players that I have spoken to that have bitten their tongues about their experience with Mike,” Kinkhabwala said. “There’s a huge disconnect, right? Because the national media is in love with Mike Tomlin, and the national media never brings up the playoff drought.”

Tomlin has built a gritty winning culture in Pittsburgh and will likely be inducted into the Hall of Fame one day as a Steelers legend. That said, this report from Kinkhabwala is concerning, as it seems like Tomlin may have lost the locker room a bit in previous years.

We’ll see if the Steelers can have a successful 2025 campaign with Aaron Rodgers under the center. However, it’s clear that the franchise has hit its peak with Tomlin as head coach.

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