Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker blasts Mike Tomlin
The NFL has turned the page toward the 2026 NFL Draft, and teams are preparing to add new faces to their rosters in an exciting rookie class. Some teams will do so with new leadership in the front office or at head coach. For example, three of the four AFC North teams now have a new head coach.
The Pittsburgh Steelers recently turned a page in their historic franchise with the retirement of head coach Mike Tomlin. Tomlin is a future Hall of Fame inductee—but that doesn’t mean he was without flaws. MORE: Super Bowl champion, 13-year NFL veteran announces immediate retirement at 35 A handful of former coaches and players have discussed Tomlin’s shortcomings, and one former Steelers linebacker recently blasted the head coach.
Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin before an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Stevenson Sylvester, whom the Steelers drafted in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft, reached the Super Bowl during his rookie season—losing to the Green Bay Packers, now led by Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy. After that, the Steelers took a sudden turn in postseason fortune.
They posted a 3–11 postseason record and never returned to the Super Bowl. Sylvester pointed to Tomlin as a reason for the decline in success. Sylvester also highlighted how quickly Tomlin began to micromanage his players and coaches.
He told KSL Sports that Tomlin sometimes took over coaches’ jobs, diminishing their roles. MORE: How to buy Atlanta Falcons 2026 jerseys: New uniforms released Sylvester then made a damning statement. “That created dysfunction.