The Pittsburgh Steelers will have a new head coach in 2026 after 19 years!
After 19 seasons holding the top job in Pittsburgh, head coach Mike Tomlin has decided to step down from his current position, thereby creating a void that the Steelers will need to address soon.
Tomlin’s decision not to pursue another year in Pittsburgh most likely comes on the back of his 7 consecutive first-round exits in the NFL playoffs. The most recent of which came on Monday when the Houston Texans defeated his team 30-6 despite the Steelers’ home-field advantage.
A string of disappointments in the postseason is set to bring a new change for the Steelers after nearly two decades. But who are the leading candidates to fill the vacancy? Let’s find out.
Top Odds as the Next Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coaching job is one that several top candidates will be interested in. This is a franchise rich in history and also has a decent roster to build upon. Thus, here are the candidates with the top odds to succeed Tomlin in the Steel City, according to bookies.com.
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Possible Mike Tomlin replacements for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Chris Shula
Chris Shula is the current defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams. He has held this position since 2024 and is at the moment the top favorite to land the Steelers head coaching job according to bookies.com.
Shula seems to be a good fit for the Steelers, considering his defensive-minded approach towards the game, something this organization also believes in. Furthermore, Shula’s Rams defense has allowed just a tad over 20 points per game, placing LA within the top ten in scoring defense.
Brian Flores is another top contender for the Steelers’ next head coach hire. Flores has been the defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings since the 2023 NFL season. Flores is a similar candidate to Shula in the sense that he also comes from a defense-oriented background.
The 44-year-old is a veteran in the league and has done an excellent job with the Vikings’ defense this season. Minnesota ranks 7th in scoring defense, giving up approximately 19.6 points per game, whereas the Vikings are 3rd in the league in EPA/play on the defensive side of the ball.
Mike McCarthy
The former Cowboys and Packers head coach, Mike McCarthy, is also available and could be considered for the Steelers’ head coach vacancy. McCarthy not only has an abundance of experience, but he is also a Super Bowl-winning head coach. He has a 174-112-2 record as a head coach and would be a worthy replacement.
Former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is also on the market after he was let go following the end of the season. His tenure in Miami lasted from 2022 to 2025, and in those four seasons, he achieved a 35-33 record along with two postseason appearances. McDaniel is considered to possess a top offensive mind, and if the Steelers are looking to go in a different direction, then he could be the best candidate at the moment.
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Kevin Stefanski
The next best odds for the Steelers’ job fall to Kevin Stefanski, the former Browns head coach. Stefanski was fired by the Browns at the end of the regular season after another year of not making the playoffs.
The 43-year-old was in charge in Cleveland for 6 seasons, in which he compiled a 45-56 record along with 2 appearances in the postseason. Although things didn’t work out in Cleveland, Stefanski is considered to be one of the better coaches. A testament to that is his two NFL Coach of the Year awards in 2020 and 2023.
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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!
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