The Steelers Have Amazing History, An Unremarkable Present, And An Uncertain Future

Art Rooney's busy offseason filled with major decisions has begun in earnest. The Pittsburgh Steelers owner and president has something of an enigma on his hands because his proud franchise still has the history and trappings of greatness, but no longer any of the fruit.

The Steelers have a great coach at the top of the football organization in Mike Tomlin but he's busy setting records for playoff failure.

This team has a big-name quarterback who has won a Super Bowl as its starter but, although Russell Wilson said Saturday night he wants to return next year, his future is murky.

And the Steelers enjoy perhaps the most engaged fan base in the NFL, but a lot of those people are angry and want heads to roll.

The Steelers, like their winning record that this season was punctuated by major failures, are just hard to figure now.

Jan 11, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike (92) celebrates with linebacker Kyle Van Noy (53) and linebacker Odafe Oweh (99) after a tackle against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third quarter in an AFC wild card game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Steelers Take (Another) Whipping

They lost to the Baltimore Ravens late Saturday night, 28-14. And the problem isn't that the Ravens have better players and are younger and stronger and faster and execute better. The problem is everybody the Steelers have faced in the postseason lately looks head-and-shoulders better than them. 

"They definitely put belt to butt," is how safety DeShon Elliott described this whipping.

The Steelers have been collecting scars from similar playoff whippings for years. This was the franchise's sixth consecutive playoff loss. That ties the Steelers with the Dolphins for the NFL's longest active playoff losing skid.

And no NFL coach other than Tomlin has currently lost six consecutive playoff games. The fact is Tomlin is one shy of the playoff record seven-game skid set by Marvin Lewis when he coached the Cincinnati Bengals.

So, yes, if you're discussing possible change within the Steelers, Tomlin's name has joined the conversation. That's not me saying that.

That's everyone.

Tomlin was asked about his skid last week. He was asked about it, as it pertains to his future with the team, by the Amazon Prime crew led by Al Michael in pre-production meetings. And he was asked about it again after the loss.

"I'm just assessing what happened tonight," Tomlin said, deflecting. "As I told you guys earlier in the week, those are my bags, not this collective's bags. And so, my energy is on that group in there and what they were willing to give and the journey we've been on this year, and certainly it came to a disappointing ending tonight."

It also came to an utterly unacceptable beginning.

Jan 11, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) runs against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth quarter in an AFC wild card game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Litany Of Recent Playoff Failures

Tomlin repeatedly said this game was won by the Ravens having great players such as Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson. He said his team wasn't good enough.

But the truth is the Steelers came out as if not aware this is the postseason. So, by halftime they were trailing 21-0, which is crazy except for the fact the Steelers have done similar in the first half of their last five postseason losses.

In 2017, the Steelers trailed their one playoff game 21-0 at halftime.

In 2020, they trailed 35-10 at halftime.

In 2021, they trailed 21-7 at halftime.

In 2023, they trailed 21-0 at halftime.

And, yes, the players obviously weren't good enough then, either. But at what point does it seem as if perhaps the preparation wasn't good enough as well?

Jan 11, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) passes in the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC wild card game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Russell Wilson Wants To Return

This night, the Steelers rallied behind two Russell Wilson second-half touchdowns. Still not enough to win but the lasting taste the quarterback left on this season is that he wasn't the biggest problem.

That put him in position to speak of his desire to return next season.

"It's been truly a blessing in my life, it's been one of the best years for me personally to be a Pittsburgh Steeler and, honestly, I hope I'm here," Wilson said. "I know God brought me here for a reason, and He gave me so much joy being around the guys, so I love black and gold and what it means to me."

Wilson and backup Justin Fields are both going to be free agents, and they are not alone. The Steelers have a ton of key free agents this offseason:

Running back Najee Harris. 

Offensive linemen Dan Moore Jr., James Daniels and Nate Herbig.

Defensive backs Donte Jackson, Cam Sutton and Damontae Katzee.

Receivers Mike Williams and Van Jefferson.

Jan 11, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) reacts after a catch against the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth quarter in an AFC wild card game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Pickens No Reason For Optimism

Receiver George Pickens is eligible for an extension this offseason.

That's a lot of uncertainty. It's unclear what will happen with all those players. Even Pickens, who is under contract, had a moment in which he was seemingly paralyzed by thoughts of the future.

He said he's seen some improvement in the offense this year, but when asked if that makes him optimistic about the future, this was his answer:

"Uh, nah," Pickens said.