To put it into football terms, there is no playbook for what President Art Rooney II will be doing in the wake of Mike Tomlin's decision to step down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. And even if there was some playbook for identifying and hiring a coach, it wouldn't be one the Steelers consulted very often.
That's because the Steelers have hired 3 head coaches since January 1969 – Chuck Noll on Jan. 27, 1969; Bill Cowher on Jan. 21, 1992; and Mike Tomlin on Jan. 22, 2007. Whether Tomlin's successor is also hired in January is to be determined, and the process begins immediately.
"I don't want to put an exact time frame on it," said Rooney. "We'll get started right away, and it'll take weeks at least, I would say. Nowadays there are a number of protocols we have to follow that are designed to slow the process down. For now, I don't want to put any real parameters around it. We're going to be an open book in terms of who we look for and the list that we build. Can I sign up for another Chuck Noll or another Bill Cowher or another Mike Tomlin? Sure, somebody we feel fits that mold would be great. But for now, we're not going to narrow the box too much."
Rooney didn't expect to be holding a media briefing at Acrisure Stadium on Wednesday, because his traditional end-of-season session typically happens later in the offseason. And whenever he ended up speaking to the media this time, he didn't expect he'd be saying:
"Now, we turn to our search for our next head coach. (General Manager) Omar (Khan) and I will lead the search, and we'll rely on others in the organization to help as we go forward. Look forward to getting started with the search and starting with the next chapter of Steelers football."
In addition to the obvious – winning a Super Bowl, two AFC Championships, 8 AFC North Championships – there is another aspect of the Tomlin chapter of Steelers football that Rooney appreciated.
"It's been a winning era," said Rooney. "As I said before, always in contention. I think when you start with that, you have the opportunity to take the next step."
It was the "take the next step" part that had become an issue, and the loss to the Texans on Monday night at Acrisure Stadium hit hard. But Rooney said that was not what he expected to be talking to Tomlin about when the two met on Tuesday morning.
"Well, it was his decision," said Rooney. "I will say that I wasn't shocked. But I wasn't expecting that conversation yesterday, either. When you get to this stage of a career, obviously he even mentioned it himself, that he was nearer to the end than to the beginning. You could see that coming. I was certainly willing to take another run at it next year with Mike, and that's what I was expecting to talk about yesterday. But obviously it went in a different direction."
That direction now has the Steelers conducting a coaching search during a period when teams start making decisions on the process of retaining/retooling/fortifying the 2025 roster. The intent is to multi-task.
"I think when you start the (coaching) search, if I've learned anything, it's to have an open mind," said Rooney. "When we had Mike in for his first interview, I certainly wasn't expecting that he was going to be our next head coach. I think you go through the process and be diligent, and hopefully you come out with the right guy."
Diligent, yes, but that doesn't mean the Steelers will dawdle. In response to another question about a timeline, he said, "If you have to put an outside date on it, certainly the Combine, it would be nice to have one before then, yes."
On the way to a candidate becoming the next head coach, he will be asked for an assessment and then a plan for turning the 2025 roster into the one the Steelers will carry into 2026.
"I think it's too early to say what effect (the search) is going to have on the roster," said Rooney. "The new coach obviously is going to have a lot to say in that. I think part of the discussion with candidates will be our roster, and how they view our roster, what they would do with our roster, and making sure we're all comfortable with that plan.
Specifically when it comes to the draft – the 2026 version will be held in Pittsburgh – Rooney said that process will unfold as it has since Joe Greene was the fourth overall pick in 1969.
"I don't think I anticipate really changing our structure or chain of command," said Rooney. "I expect the new head coach, like Bill Cowher, like Mike Tomlin, like Chuck Noll, will be very involved in preparing for the draft and working closely with Omar and his staff and making sure we're ready."
Also remaining status quo will be the Steelers' approach to each and every season.
"I'm not sure why you waste a year of your life not trying to contend," said Rooney. "Obviously your roster is what it is every year. It changes every year, so you deal with what you have every year and try to put yourself in position to compete every year. Sometimes you have the horses, sometimes you don't. But I think you try every year.
"The standard is try to compete to win a championship every year."
