The Official 2025 Off-Season Thread

[Central_Buc]

Well their fans are sick of him. They actually hung a billboard in the city, a couple weeks ago

[Bootz]

Well their fans are sick of him. They actually hung a billboard in the city, a couple weeks ago

If mediocrity is winning football and playoffs every year, what does that say about nearly every other team in the league except the Chiefs?

[Doctor]

MJW would describe a Tomlin regime as a nightmare.

[mdb1958]

MJW would describe a Tomlin regime as a nightmare.

Free MJW!

[__Chef__]

Well their fans are sick of him. They actually hung a billboard in the city, a couple weeks ago

This sentiment makes sense when your team has a window and that window is closing.

They don't have a QB, they don't have a group of elite stars that are retiring or cap casualties, and they don't have an elite coordinator who's about to jet for a HC job.

The only thing they do have is a HC with high enough standards to win no matter what the rest of the team looks like.

If Tomlin is Fired, who here wouldn't replace Bowles with him? Shoot, we might actually see what JTS, Hall, and the rest of the guys are capable of.

[Snake]

Well their fans are sick of him. They actually hung a billboard in the city, a couple weeks ago

Their standard is rings. Not making the playoffs and being a total non-threat.

[Bootz]

Well their fans are sick of him. They actually hung a billboard in the city, a couple weeks ago

This sentiment makes sense when your team has a window and that window is closing.

They don't have a QB, they don't have a group of elite stars that are retiring or cap casualties, and they don't have an elite coordinator who's about to jet for a HC job.

The only thing they do have is a HC with high enough standards to win no matter what the rest of the team looks like.

If Tomlin is Fired, who here wouldn't replace Bowles with him? Shoot, we might actually see what JTS, Hall, and the rest of the guys are capable of.

There'd be a bidding war honestly and he'd have his choice of where he wanted to go.

He's just 52 and he embodies what coaching and leading is all about. It's not a playcall to playcall aspect with Tomlin. It's getting you to a place where you're doing your job as best you can. Tomlin is a throw back and a dying breed. Guys like him, Belichick, Dick Vermeil, Tom Coughlin. Guys who help as much off the field with the mental side of the game as with the physical side.

[Snake]

Re: Lawrence dead cap

[Bootz]

Well their fans are sick of him. They actually hung a billboard in the city, a couple weeks ago

Their standard is rings. Not making the playoffs and being a total non-threat.

"Their standard is rings".

Wonder what was said about the team during the 26 year gap between winning rings. Only had 2 HCs during that span as well and the one that got replaced retired.

[Bootz]

Re: Lawrence dead cap

That so obviously doesn't factor in the 3 option bonuses Lawrence has tied into his deal for the next 3 seasons. They aren't exercised until about a week into each new league year. And because those bonuses are fully guaranteed Jacksonville would be on the hook. Each bonus totals $35mil.

[__Chef__]

...
He's just 52 and he embodies what coaching and leading is all about. It's not a playcall to playcall aspect with Tomlin. It's getting you to a place where you're doing your job as best you can. Tomlin is a throw back and a dying breed. Guys like him, Belichick, Dick Vermeil, Tom Coughlin. Guys who help as much off the field with the mental side of the game as with the physical side.

Excellent post ... I've tried, but I couldn't say it better myself.

[__Chef__]

Re: Lawrence dead cap

That so obviously doesn't factor in the 3 option bonuses Lawrence has tied into his deal for the next 3 seasons. They aren't exercised until about a week into each new league year. And because those bonuses are fully guaranteed Jacksonville would be on the hook. Each bonus totals $35mil.

Exhibit A: Why you don't pay elite contracts to anybody, much less unproven talent.

[Grahamburn]

Re: Lawrence dead cap

It doesn't read that way? But, ok.

[Bootz]

That so obviously doesn't factor in the 3 option bonuses Lawrence has tied into his deal for the next 3 seasons. They aren't exercised until about a week into each new league year. And because those bonuses are fully guaranteed Jacksonville would be on the hook. Each bonus totals $35mil.

Exhibit A: Why you don't pay elite contracts to anybody, much less unproven talent.

And much less when you don't have to. They rushed to get a deal done with him after his 3rd season for no reason whatsoever.

*Minor correction. The 2025 & 2026 options are for $35mil fully guaranteed. But the 2027 option is only guaranteed up to $29mil.

[__Chef__]

Exhibit A: Why you don't pay elite contracts to anybody, much less unproven talent.

And much less when you don't have to. They rushed to get a deal done with him after his 3rd season for no reason whatsoever.

*Minor correction. The 2025 & 2026 options are for $35mil fully guaranteed. But the 2027 option is only guaranteed up to $29mil.

Whoever worked that mess of a contract should be fired, and the owner who signed it should fire himself.

[Bootz]

This Cooper Kupp/Rams divorce is turning NASTY. The Rams for all intents and purposes want nothing to do with him anymore and are willing to pay for him to be elsewhere. And they didn't even discuss reworking his contract before they came to the decision to trade him.

I wonder what happened.

[Central_Buc]

Well their fans are sick of him. They actually hung a billboard in the city, a couple weeks ago

This sentiment makes sense when your team has a window and that window is closing.

They don't have a QB, they don't have a group of elite stars that are retiring or cap casualties, and they don't have an elite coordinator who's about to jet for a HC job.

The only thing they do have is a HC with high enough standards to win no matter what the rest of the team looks like.

If Tomlin is Fired, who here wouldn't replace Bowles with him? Shoot, we might actually see what JTS, Hall, and the rest of the guys are capable of.

I actually prefer Bowles over Tomlin. Tomlin seems to be a rah rah type that over stayed his welcome somewhere. I find Bowles is more intelligent with putting schemes together even if it doesn't always work out.

Spare me the he has MOAR wins. Put Tomlin on the Jets too and see how that goes.

[__Chef__]

I actually prefer Bowles over Tomlin. Tomlin seems to be a rah rah type that over stayed his welcome somewhere. I find Bowles is more intelligent with putting schemes together even if it doesn't always work out.

A fair take, however what you're describing is the difference between a head coach and a coordinator.

In this case, a head coach who has gone through multiple coordinators and always maintained a winning football team.

Give him an elite team, elite coordinators, or both, and you've got a champion.

[Grahamburn]

I actually prefer Bowles over Tomlin. Tomlin seems to be a rah rah type that over stayed his welcome somewhere. I find Bowles is more intelligent with putting schemes together even if it doesn't always work out.

A fair take, however what you're describing is the difference between a head coach and a coordinator.

In this case, a head coach who has gone through multiple coordinators and always maintained a winning football team.

Give him an elite team, elite coordinators, or both, and you've got a champion.

At what point does he have to take responsibility for those decisions though? If Bowles gets credit for back to back good/great OC hires and landing a franchise QB shouldn't Tomlin take some blame for his OC's and QB's post Big Ben?

If he has no say and he's just making chicken salad out of chicken shit every year then sure. Tomlin is incredible.

[Central_Buc]

I actually prefer Bowles over Tomlin. Tomlin seems to be a rah rah type that over stayed his welcome somewhere. I find Bowles is more intelligent with putting schemes together even if it doesn't always work out.

A fair take, however what you're describing is the difference between a head coach and a coordinator.

In this case, a head coach who has gone through multiple coordinators and always maintained a winning football team.

Give him an elite team, elite coordinators, or both, and you've got a champion.

That's true and I'm not disputing that there are some things Tomlin may do better as a HC than other intelligent coordinators. However, there are some red flags over there such as teams are not lining up to hire his staff after 18 years. He has never had anyone progress further. You can't count Arians because he has been in the NFL longer than Tomlin.

Secondly no good coordinator either wants to go there or Tomlin is preventing it because he needs to be the smartest guy in the room.

Rooney II is probably the real problem there because he enables what has gone there since he hired Tomlin in 07. He's not his grandpa nor is he Dan Rooney. And as you can see it seem like Pittsburgh is tired of the Rooney/Tomlin dynamic.

[__Chef__]

At what point does he have to take responsibility for those decisions though? If Bowles gets credit for back to back good/great OC hires and landing a franchise QB shouldn't Tomlin take some blame for his OC's and QB's post Big Ben?

If he has no say and he's just making chicken salad out of chicken shit every year then sure. Tomlin is incredible.

Sure, blame him for never having a losing season.

Were they not just in the playoffs?

Did they have a top 5 offense to get them there?
Did they have top 5 QB play?

I'm not sure who is responsible for bringing in talent in Pittsburg, but it's probably the GM, and probably should stay that way.
If the GM is underperforming, that's on management to replace him.

[Central_Buc]

At what point does he have to take responsibility for those decisions though? If Bowles gets credit for back to back good/great OC hires and landing a franchise QB shouldn't Tomlin take some blame for his OC's and QB's post Big Ben?

If he has no say and he's just making chicken salad out of chicken shit every year then sure. Tomlin is incredible.

Sure, blame him for never having a losing season.

Were they not just in the playoffs?

Did they have a top 5 offense to get them there?
Did they have top 5 QB play?

I'm not sure who is responsible for bringing in talent in Pittsburg, but it's probably the GM, and probably should stay that way.
If the GM is underperforming, that's on management to replace him.

8 straight years no playoff wins. 2 out of the last 5 years missed the playoffs. These are still fireable results especially for someone who had 18 years there.and that's the best he can do after all that time.

Spare me hE hAs nO QB. He had plenty of years to draft and groom a replacement for Roethlisberger.

[Central_Buc]

To further prove my point and this is the final one ill make. Two former NFL players (one a former Steeler who had a front row seat) who think this guy is a fraud. It hasn't been the first time he has called him out.



https://www.si.com/nfl/julian-edelman-l ... rs-defense

https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2025/ ... ndard-nfl/

[Grahamburn]

At what point does he have to take responsibility for those decisions though? If Bowles gets credit for back to back good/great OC hires and landing a franchise QB shouldn't Tomlin take some blame for his OC's and QB's post Big Ben?

If he has no say and he's just making chicken salad out of chicken shit every year then sure. Tomlin is incredible.

Sure, blame him for never having a losing season.

Were they not just in the playoffs?

Did they have a top 5 offense to get them there?
Did they have top 5 QB play?

I'm not sure who is responsible for bringing in talent in Pittsburg, but it's probably the GM, and probably should stay that way.
If the GM is underperforming, that's on management to replace him.

Their GM has been there for like 20 years. They just promoted him to the GM role in 2022. His first pick? Kenny Pickett.

[Grahamburn]

I enjoy seeing them fail. Keep on keepin on, Mike.

[__Chef__]

They just promoted him to the GM role in 2022. His first pick? Kenny Pickett.

Sounds like maybe they need a new GM.

Then again, Jason Licht's first pick at the top of the draft isn't starting in the league anymore.

[__Chef__]

To further prove my point and this is the final one ill make. Two former NFL players (one a former Steeler who had a front row seat) who think this guy is a fraud. It hasn't been the first time he has called him out.



https://www.si.com/nfl/julian-edelman-l ... rs-defense

https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2025/ ... ndard-nfl/

Interesting critique. Maybe he gets pushed out like Andy Reid.

If so, I hope we follow the Chief's footsteps.

[Central_Buc]

To further prove my point and this is the final one ill make. Two former NFL players (one a former Steeler who had a front row seat) who think this guy is a fraud. It hasn't been the first time he has called him out.



https://www.si.com/nfl/julian-edelman-l ... rs-defense

https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2025/ ... ndard-nfl/

Interesting critique. Maybe he gets pushed out like Andy Reid.

If so, I hope we follow the Chief's footsteps.

Thing is though Andy Reid is heads above and has proven himself unlike Tomlin. Why? In the sense that he took a job (Philly 98) that was utter garbage. They were the worst team in the league and over a period and He gradually built that whole roster into something that was capable of a championship. It took Reid 2 years to take them to their first NFC championship game.

Tomlin was gifted a championship team when he got to Pittsburgh and had 18 years to rebuild or rebrand it to his vision after that team and all you see now is one and done or barely 9 wins a year.

[__Chef__]

Interesting critique. Maybe he gets pushed out like Andy Reid.

If so, I hope we follow the Chief's footsteps.

Thing is though Andy Reid is heads above and has proven himself unlike Tomlin. Why? In the sense that he took a job (Philly 98) that was utter garbage. They were the worst team in the league and over a period and He gradually built that whole roster into something that was capable of a championship. It took Reid 2 years to take them to their first NFC championship game.

Tomlin was gifted a championship team when he got to Pittsburgh and had 18 years to rebuild or rebrand it to his vision after that team and all you see now is one and done or barely 9 wins a year.

I'll concede it is easier to maintain a winner than it is to build one.
Having said that, Reid was fired after winning only 4 games.

I'm no Football Encyclopedia, but I can't think of a single HC that hasn't posted a losing record at least 1 year.

It's truly remarkable.

Perhaps part of this is ownership doesn't swing for the fences knowing they'll have to endure down years after mortgaging the future to make a run. A similar approach as Bill used in NE, but Bill had TB12.

[Bootz]

My thing with Tomlin is who are you comparing him against? Can't be many current coaches because if you're saying he should be fired because of his resume, then you must feel most everyone other organization needs to start over as well. ESPECIALLY if rings are the standard for determining if someone keeps their jobs or not.

[__Chef__]

My thing with Tomlin is who are you comparing him against? Can't be many current coaches because if you're saying he should be fired because of his resume, then you must feel most everyone other organization needs to start over as well. ESPECIALLY if rings are the standard for determining if someone keeps their jobs or not.

The more I think about it, the more I hope it happens. Can you imagine?
Players try to keep a chip on their shoulder to give them an edge.
Tomlin, having never posted a losing record, gets fired.

Bring
Him
Here

Let him see anyone in the building not giving 200% ...

[Backside]

Well their fans are sick of him. They actually hung a billboard in the city, a couple weeks ago

If mediocrity is winning football and playoffs every year, what does that say about nearly every other team in the league except the Chiefs?

Any team with a playoff win recently is having much more success than Pittsburgh.

[Bootz]

If mediocrity is winning football and playoffs every year, what does that say about nearly every other team in the league except the Chiefs?

Any team with a playoff win recently is having much more success than Pittsburgh.

What awards do you get just for winning playoff games? Like what do the Bills, Ravens, Texans have to show that the Steelers don't?

[Backside]

Any team with a playoff win recently is having much more success than Pittsburgh.

What awards do you get just for winning playoff games? Like what do the Bills, Ravens, Texans have to show that the Steelers don't?

Playoff wins. They are recorded historically and a good indicator of success.


By your logic, what do the Steelers have that the teams picking in the bottom of the draft don’t have? A playoff appearance? Getting beat down in the playoffs and a worse draft pick?

Your insinuation that the Steelers could thumb their noses at ‘nearly’ any team besides the Chiefs because of their recent ‘success’ is absurd to me.

Many teams have been much more successful recently, including the Bucs.

[Bootz]

Imagine thinking these guys bust their asses just so they can say in 25 years "I never won a Superbowl, but look up on your phone how many playoff games we won. Yea boy!!"