The Pittsburgh Steelers have been a consistently good team under head coach Mike Tomlin. Pittsburgh finished the 2024 season with a 10-7 record and lost in the Wild Card round against Baltimore. After another early exit from the playoffs, rumors are beginning to swirl about Mike Tomlin's future with the Steelers.

Former NFL safety and ESPN analyst Ryan Clark spoke with TMZ about Tomlin in a recent interview. Clark believes that Tomlin should at least explore the possibility of leaving Pittsburgh for greener pastures.

“Coach Tomlin should look into whether or not his voice is better suited somewhere else,” Clark said. “Whether or not the cache that he will carry from what he's done in Pittsburgh will help another locker room more than it's helping the locker room in Pittsburgh.”

Clark, who himself is a former Steelers player, knows Tomlin and the organization well. He compared Tomlin to Chiefs coach Andy Reid to explain his point. Clark seems to be suggesting that Tomlin may be more successful if he moved to a different team.

“Andy Reid's voice seemed to have lost a little steam in Philadelphia that was picked up in Kansas City,” Clark said. “I believe that can be an answer for Mike Tomlin.”

It is a little difficult to imagine Tomlin coaching any other team. Tomlin has famously never had a losing season in Pittsburgh, so it is hard to argue that what he's doing isn't working.

At this point, it seems unlikely that Tomlin will be moved. However, the presence of these rumors may cause the Steelers to be more aggressive about upgrading the roster this offseason.

Patrick Peterson comes to the defense of Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin

Dec 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; The Pittsburgh Steelers take the field as head coach Mike Tomlin (middle) looks on before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Acrisure Stadium.
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Not everyone is into the idea of Tomlin leaving the Steelers.

Former Steelers CB Patrick Peterson defended Tomlin during a recent interview on Sirius XM radio on Wednesday.

“My opinion, you've got to get out of the old Pittsburgh way of really relying on your defense. Yes, we know the defense is the strong suit of the team. But at the same point, they can't be out there for 35-40 minutes a game,” Peterson said. “It's just going to wear and tear on them. We saw that toward the latter part of the year when the offense wasn't able to move the football and the defense was out there a majority of the game.”

This is a strong statement, especially coming from a former defensive back.

Ultimately, Peterson seems to be preaching a more balanced approach to building the team. Obviously, that should start with finding a franchise quarterback. This is something the Steelers have struggled with ever since Ben Roethlisberger's retirement.

“He just needs a steady quarterback and a different offense,” Peterson concluded.

This will be a major storyline to follow this offseason. The Steelers have a desperate need for a new quarterback, but there aren't many promising names on the horizon.

It will be fascinating to see how the Steelers approach the quarterback position this spring after an underwhelming 2024 campaign.