No, they did not fire Mike Tomlin, but he is done as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers – he stepped down on his own.

What actually happened

  • Mike Tomlin informed the Steelers in mid-January 2026 that he is stepping down / resigning as head coach after 19 seasons.
  • The team publicly framed it as his decision, thanking him for nearly two decades of stability and success.
  • Because he resigned while still under contract, the Steelers technically retain his rights if he ever wants to coach elsewhere before his deal would have expired.

So why are people asking “did they fire him?”

  • The Steelers were blown out 30–6 by the Texans in the wild-card round, extending a long playoff-win drought, which led to loud “fire Tomlin” talk from some fans and media.
  • That backlash had been building over several seasons of early playoff exits and no postseason wins since the 2016 season.
  • Commentators and forum posters had been debating for months whether the team should fire him, which is why the phrase is all over social media and message boards.

What’s next for Tomlin and the Steelers

  • Reports indicate Tomlin is not expected to coach elsewhere in 2026 , at least for now, after stepping away.
  • His departure creates one of several head-coach vacancies around the NFL going into the 2026 hiring cycle.
  • Pittsburgh now has to find its first new head coach since 2007, ending one of the league’s longest-running coaching tenures.

Bottom line: he wasn’t fired; he chose to step down after heavy pressure and another disappointing playoff exit.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.