PTI - What’s Next for the Steelers After Mike Tomlin Steps Down?

Episode Date: January 13, 2026

Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser discuss Mike Tomlin stepping down as the Steelers head coach, recap the Texans-Steelers wild card game, and debrief Joe Mazzulla's interesting post game presser. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, sports fans, the ESPN app has all of ESPN all in one place. The ESPN app is your home to thousands of live events, ESPN shows, and originals across every ESPN network and service. And now you can check if you already have ESPN Unlimited as part of your TV package for no additional calls. Visit activate.esPN.com to learn how to access your account or sign up, then start streaming in the ESPN app. It's all of ESPN all in one place. Sign up or activate now. Pardon the interruption, but I'm Mike Wilbon. I'm told it's make your dream come true day, Tony. Do you have a dream you'd like to come true?

I'm Tony Kornheiser. I do, but it involves a flight to Turkey and a hair transplant surgeon. I'm having trouble vetting, so I don't see it coming true. I don't. Turkey, you can get hair a lot closer than Turkey. Yeah, but you know, you fly on Turkish hair lines. It's very nice.

Because you see all these guys coming back and the back of their heads have little dots where they've apparently inserted hair. You know, that might be fun or maybe not. Welcome to PTI, boys and girls. In today's episode, the Texans defense dominates. Joe Missoula reiterates and Jeff Saturday conversates for five good minutes. But we begin today with Mike Tomlin stepping down as head coach of the Steelers following last night's playoff loss to the Texans. Tomlin has led the team for 19 years without a little. losing season. But the Super Bowl winner has dropped his last seven playoff games, and the team

hasn't won in the postseason in nine years. Well, Bon, Tomlin is just 53. Where do you see him and the Steelers going from here? I don't see him going with the Steelers anywhere since he has stepped down. The Steelers will go and do what they haven't had to do very often in their history, which is go and select a coach. You know, I mean, Chuck Noel, Bill Cowher, you know, it doesn't happen very often. So they'll do that. I'm sure they've had their eyes on a string of short, string of candidates for weeks. Because Tony, going back to when they were the booze or Mike Tomlin was booed and people suggested fans in Pittsburgh, did he be fired, I remember thinking then, Mike Tomlin needs this. Really? He needs this. I know he makes a lot of money. He's making whatever in the

teens of millions of dollars, something between 13, 16 million dollars. He can make more than that in TV. That's where I expected to go. I told you weeks ago, Mike Tomlin can reset television as a form of entertainment football, as a form of entertainment on television in a way that no bond has since John Madden. And that may be new ways we don't know about.

It may be one of the existing ways with an existing network or platform. I don't know. I'm not a television executive. But Mike Tomlin, who you have loved to hear talk and talk to for 20 years. You know Mike Tomlin would be great at that.

Why does he need coaching? It's been forever. He's going to make more than $20 million no matter what he does without the stress. I don't see him coaching next year. I don't. Okay, so let me take a few things at a time. There was a very interesting name being mentioned on the internet as the next coach of the Steelers, and that's Kurt Signetti.

Kurt Signetti would be very interesting. I think he's from that area. So I just wanted to throw that. one out there. It's somebody else's idea. Look, last night after that game, it would have been fair to say in any discussion, did we just see the last of Aaron Rogers and we just see the last of Mike Tomlin? In Aaron Rogers's case, he was looked old. He looked sort of creaky. And he's a, you know, he's got physical demands that a certain, at a certain point he can't do anymore. Mike Tomlin's only 53 years old. A lot of guys coaching in the league older than him. Sean

Peyton's older than Mike Tomlin, for example. I don't know. know if he wants to coach again. John Harbaugh wants to coach again, wants to coach right away. Maybe Mike Tomlin does as well. If Atlanta looks good for John Harbaugh looks just as good for Mike Tomlin. It's one of the things that we don't know. TV is fine to mention. I don't know if he wants to do television. Nobody really knows what he wants to do. I think the questions that are out there are essentially, well, everybody wonders, did he jump or was he pushed? That's not what the Rooney's do? He jumped. The Roonies don't do that as a rule. I don't. I always thought that if he was going to leave, that would be one of those things. It's a cliche,

mutually agreed upon. But I believe the respect was such between Tomlin and the Roonies that it would have been mutually agreed upon. You know, it's, the bell rang. I'm just going to say that I always thought he was a great coach. I'm confident he's a Hall of Fame coach, but it is true. And I would never have joined that group chanting fire Tom. No, that's stupid. But it is undeniably true that the playoffs have been terrible for him lately. Terrible. Even if they hadn't been enough. How long is enough? 19 years of that kind of stress in today's NFL. This isn't George Hallis' NFL.

And George Hallis, by the way, broke his 40 years of coaching up into four groups of 10 years. He didn't even try to go 19 to long time. You're sitting in the same seat for 25 years. What's long to one is not long to somebody else. I mean, I do expect him to coach again. I think that's his blood. You do. You expect the coward of time.

talk to coach again too. And I ran to Bill Coward down the street from this studio one day. It was wrong. And he said, do me a favor. He was wrong. Tell Tony, I'm never coming back. Totally truth. Okay. But others do.

Others do come back. Just saying. You missed that break I took. That four-year break got me through the next, you know, four and a half. You don't remember that? No, you're 25. 25. We move now.

Same chair. To last night's final wildcard game, that 30 to six drubbing of the Steelers, by visiting Houston. This wasn't much of a game. Houston had three turnovers and interception and two fumbles by C.J. Strout, and still the Steelers couldn't score a touchdown.

Aaron Rogers had two turnovers that gave Houston 14, including possibly ending his career on a pick six. Tom, what did you make of what you saw? Well, I believe I had that right. I believe I said to you that Houston was going to win that game,

and they were going to win the game comfortably because the Pittsburgh Steelers really don't have much of an offense, and they haven't had much of an offense since Ben Rathesburg. No. I mean, they really haven't. They don't have a quarterback. They tried Kenny Pickett, and they tried Mason Rudolph, and they tried Justin Fields, and they tried Russell Wilson, and now they're trying Aaron Rogers. And Aaron Rogers, last night, Aaron Rogers, if I have this right, threw the ball 33 times,

for a total of 146 yards. That's just not enough. You know, he was sacked four times, intercepted. once, fumbled once. The entire Steelers' offense had 175 yards. You can't win with that. Houston has a very good defense. We are aware

of that. They're very solid team. They have won 10 games in a row. And C.J. Stroud did basically nothing less. I didn't need them. They didn't need them because they were that dominant. So, I mean, I look at this. Where do they go next? They go to New England, I believe.

I think that's a winnable game for them. But there's Drake is a lot better running with the ball than Aaron Rogers is. Well, at this stage, he's a lot better than a lot of things. Look, Aaron Rogers is going to wear a gold jacket in five years, unless he decides to play some more. He's been one of the greats to ever do this. But time's up. It's okay.

It's no indictment of Aaron Rogers. His greatness doesn't need to be questioned. Then you can't take it back. He won a Super Bowl. It was surprised the Packers didn't get to more. of them while he was playing. But you looked at that last night tone, and that was one of those deals

where it looked like an old Muhammad Ali climbing into the ring against like Trevor Purpick. And he was going to get a beat down. And that's that. All right. So that's what we saw? And what was I going to mention?

I was going to mention Will Anderson and Daniel Hunter. My God, they put it on you. And Pittsburgh had no answer for them. They weren't going to have an answer for them. And the question is, will the Patriots in an offensive line, which is sort of vulnerable, have an answer for them? Houston, the Houston Texans, I don't know if they have enough offense to go much further, but they got enough defense to hurt you. At the beginning of the year, if someone suggested to you that in the same division, both Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh would be out at the end of the year, they had been in that division for nearly 20 years.

If both were out, you would have said what? I would have said no way. You know, Tony, I would have said no way, but then you think about the 18 and 19 years respectively. I'm not kidding about that. This NFL, this is not, I mean, John Madden only coached, what, 11 years, 10 years, 18 and 19 is a long, long time. Andy Reid's out there a long time. Bill Belichick was there a long time. Let's move to the NBA in a sound bite from Boston Celtics coach Joe Missoula last night.

Missoula was apparently nift that the officials did not call an illegal screen. on Indiana's Pascal Seacom just before the Pacer's winning basket by Seacom. After the game, Missoula had this interesting monologue. Joe, gave yourself the chance to win, I guess. Take us through the last couple of sessions. A legal screen.

What I say? A legal screen. Illegal screen. A legal screen. What fell apart to get you guys behind and then how were you able to get behind? Legal screen. What do you want people to do?

legal screen. Would you like to be on? A legal screen. Illegal screen. Wilbon, are you okay with how Joe Mazzula handled the postgame press conference? I, you know, I told our producers this this afternoon when I came in and we were talking about this, because it's a story. There's no question about it.

I don't know that I would have dignified this with even showing the clip. Because if Joe Mazzulo doesn't have the stones to go after the officials, go after them, in full sentences. Because if you're a player, Jalen Brown, who I have the ultimate respect for, I love Jalen Brown. He did it. He's a player. He did it. The coach can't do it. Illegal scream.

Really? You're not Rashid Wallace. It wasn't funny. It had an agenda. Rashid did not have an agenda. This had an agenda. This just irritates me and it seems soft. Just to fill in the blanks for people, Rashid Wallace is famous for saying both teams played hard.

Both teams played hard. Makes you smile even now, doesn't it? Yeah, Missoula fixated on illegal screen. I understand that. After a while, when you say it 10 times, it sounds like you're doing a Saturday night live skit. I imagine it's an 82 game season. Everybody's going to be passed this by Friday, but I can see Missoula today talking to people and saying illegal screen, and he will keep doing it until Brad Stevens pulls him aside and says, okay, let it go.

I will say this, Mike, in the games that I watch, and this is an ongoing thing, there's a lot of things that are not called. Players travel, players charge, players bump. Nobody draws an offensive foul anymore. Nothing is called. And I think it's because the referees look at these players. The game has played so fast and the players are so athletically gifted that they pretty much just let him play.

But I think he ought to lean into it. Missoula ought to get a sweater made that says illegal screen. Well, by the way, the league is absolved him by saying it was an illegal screen. That's right. So his players. Players have never set an illegal screen. This is the first illegal screen in the damn history of professional basketball. Nobody should try to get a patent on it, like Pat Riley did with three Pete.

Let's take a break. Coming up, we will get back into Mike Tomlin's decision to step down with Jeff Saturday. And we'll ask him about the Eagles big change at OC. We've got some football questions for our great friend ESPN NFL analyst, Jeff Saturday. We will start with the news of the day you played against Mike Tomlin Steelers. you coached against Mike Tomlin, Steelers. What are your thoughts on his decision to step down? First of all, Mike Tomlin is a Hall of Fame,

and I could not respect coach probably more than I respect him. The way that he's carried himself, the way that he's, you know, he's really been the face, honestly, of the Steelers since we got good in Indianapolis. I mean, you look at him and what he was and the battles that we all had, the defenses that he built with Rathusberger and the triple Bs or whatever. Like, you watched all these different phases and all the different comments he makes to the press. Everything he said, you hung on every word. He's just that kind of guy.

He's got that kind of personality. And I'm going to miss seeing him in that way. I think he's a heck of a head coach. I hope he goes back and does it somewhere else. I'm not sure if that'll be this year or in the future. But I know this. Everybody who lined up under MIT, appreciate them. They loved the way he did it, the way he went about his business.

And we're going to miss him. We're going to miss him being a Steelers head coach, but just in the NFL as a whole, because he's that good one. In slightly less urgent news, Jeff, as you know, the Eagles today dumped offensive coordinator, Kevin Petulow. What's primarily? Yeah, yeah. What primarily looked wrong with the Eagles' offense to you? And is it, I mean, they change offensive coordinators like every week. Every year. How fixable is what is wrong with them?

Well, it's very fixable. They are loaded with talent. So they've got two really good receivers. They got a great tight in. They got a great back. They got a quarterback who's won championships and has played at elite levels. And so they got a great defense or an elite defense. So all the pieces and parts are there. I think from the Petulo's side of it is they never found consistency and they never found their identity. And I think where I would say, you know, midway through the year, remember it was all the AJ Brown and I needed more touches and I need to be a larger part. And they tried to make that happen. He was the most targeted receiver for like three games, but they lost all three games. They went back.

They just never really found their flow. And then I'll be honest, this last game, this is not really on Petulow. I mean, I get it. Like, was it a thing of beauty? Was a masterpiece? No, but they got the ball, you know, and they got guys dropping the ball three or four. different drops on third down. They got the Devante Smith drop on the 10 yard line. You got first and 10 from the 20 with a minute 28. The Eagles usually win those games. And unfortunately, they did not.

And so I think ultimately there's got to be a scapegoat. Petula takes that raft this year and they're going to move on to somebody else and be back right in the fray of the Super Bowl next year. during the Jacksonville Buffalo game, when Josh Allen is involved in about a 10-yard tush push, you were the person I immediately thought of what does Saturday think about this, and now we have the chance to ask you. Because I know Greenie lost his mind.

I'm trying to dismiss that. Jeff, is this good? Is this not good for football? What were your thoughts? I freaking love it, baby. Pick them up. and tote that dude, do it. Run over, dominate the humans in front of you, run over them. I absolutely love it. Listen, I can't stand the hole. We hate the tush push where this,

it drives me nuts. No one could do it as well as Philly. Now all of a sudden Buffalo does it. They pick their guy up, a 240 plus pound quarterback who's a massive human being with a cape on and runs them all the way. I love it. I'm all, I'm here for it until it can be stopped. I love it. it. That's physicality at its best. It's pretty much what football was based on, Mike. Everybody thinks it was a seven-on-seven now. They want to throw it all over the yard. When you can take that dude in front of you

and drive him eight yards and dump him on his back, good on you, bro. That's how football should be played. There we have it. There we have it. We'll get you out of here on this. It's a survey question of sorts. Which of the wild card winners, I guess there are six of them? Which of the wild card winners impressed you the most?

Oh, the bills. going against one of the hottest teams in Jacksonville and going down to Jacksonville and finding a way to win, right? I think that is, I mean, it was an electric win. Josh Allen again, four different times. I think the dude's going to be out of the game. I mean, he's taking shots and concussion protocol, all of it, man. And you just, they keep fighting through it. It just shows you the toughness of the team.

I absolutely love that game. In Jacksonville, what Liam Cohen's done with them, man, tip of the cap, they were playing fantastic ball. for them to go down there and get that win, that was special. Again, everybody talks about Josh Allen's best opportunity to win a Super Bowl because certain people aren't in it. His teammate is good as they were either. And so he's having to do more with less and he's doing it. And those other guys, give them credit, man.

They responded. And they make plays and they've made enough plays to find a way to beat Jacksonville. That was my favor of the week. I thank you, Jeff. Appreciate you, Jeff. Appreciate you. Thank you, Jeff. Appreciate you all.

Have a great one. Let's take one last break still to come the PGA Tour's new returning member program seems to exclude a few very famous golfers. Is that fair or foul? And Jim Harbaugh makes a change to the Chargers. You know, we are all universally impressed with what Josh Allen did in that game.

Because it was him. It was amazing. It was him. Amazing performance. No doubt. Happy time. People happy 73rd birthday Bob Bafford. Controversial horse trainer had a suspension lifted

by Churchill Downs in 2024 and his saddling horses again in the Kentucky Derby, which he has won six times, most notably with Triple Crown winners American Farrow in 2015 and Justify in 2018. Bafford's six Kentucky Derby wins are the most for any current trainer. Bafford also has eight Prechtus winners the most all time and three Belmont winners for a total of 17

Triple Crown race wins. More trophies than he can probably fit on his mantelpiece. D. Wayne Lucas had 15 such wins. Bafford and Lucas were the biggest names in American training over the last 40 years. My question is, we come up on horsey season, is are your horsey's going to run or they're going to sit out back to backs and eliminate even the possibility of a triple crown?

They're going to do that? Happy anniversary of Miami Dolphins. On this day, 52 years ago, the Dolphins won the Super Bowl for the second straight year. This one, a 24 to 7 win over the Vikings, came one year after the Dolphins' Legendary 17 and O team, the only unbeaten team in NFL history. Football historians might argue that the 1973 team was actually better than the 1972 team despite finishing the season 12 and 2.

The argument is made that the 72 team played a notably soft schedule, and the 73 team had to play powerhouses like the Raiders, Steelers, and Cowboys, and did so with an obvious target on their backs. Wilbon, will you make that argument? I was no historian at 15 years old. But I do remember Tony that follow-up season thinking, wow, this is a much tougher schedule, and it's just harder to do, even if you can't say there's great

because they weren't undefeated. Don't you wish we could ask Don't Schuyloula, the great Don Schuller, the late great Don Schuller, to participate in that discussion? Happy trails to a cross-checking call against the Red Wings. With time running out in overtime last night, Detroit's Andrew Cop knocked down, Carolina defenseman Shane Gosses Bear from behind, then collected a pass and buried it for the game winner.

The hurricanes were so hot about that non-call, the two of them, including Gatsas Bear, got 10-minute misconducts for language they directed at the rest. And while we're talking hockey, shout out to the University of Minnesota's Abby Murphy for her insane assist on Saturday night. Murphy lifted the puck in the air, then knocked it down and threw the defender's legs before pushing it over to a teammate for the goal. One-handed, one-handed pass. But to cross check, come on now. Man, it's just gutless to not make that call. Just because it's overtime, you swallow the whistle?

I don't know. It's not a great week for officiating. Let's go to the big finish. The charge is fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Does that make sense to you? It all does kind of. It's a big blame week in the NFL. You get eliminated or your season's over, fire somebody.

The Cardinals traded third baseman Nolan Aeronado to the debacks. That's a big deal, isn't it? Well, he's a great defensive third baseman, but he's going to be 35. His offense is down a little bit. The Falcons interviewed John Harbour yesterday. Do you like that fit? Yes. For anybody who really wants to coach a team loaded with talent, particularly on the offensive side, yes.

The PGA Tour's new returning member program would seem to exclude Phil, Dustin Johnson, and Patrick Reed. Your thoughts? Phil is 55 years old. DJ hasn't won much lately, and nobody actually likes Patrick Reed. Last morning, unbeaten number two, Iowa State at Kansas tonight. Who you got? At Kansas is the key phrase there. You know who I got.

We're out of time. We'll try to do better the next time. I'm Tony Corny. And I'm Mike Lobon. Same time tomorrow, knucklehead.