Mike Tomlin has embodied the stability created by routine and transparency throughout his 19 seasons as the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach. It has endeared him to hundreds of players and kept him entrenched in an organization that mirrors the values of its coach.

That stability has come to an end as Tomlin is stepping down with two years left on his contract, sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Adam Schefter on Monday afternoon.

Tomlin, 53, informed players Tuesday of his decision to walk away at a 2 p.m. ET meeting, a day after falling to the Houston Texans 30-6 in the wild-card round of the AFC playoffs, extending the team’s playoff win drought to nine seasons.

He leaves Pittsburgh with the unprecedented accomplishment of never having a losing season in nearly two decades at the helm of the franchise. He clinched his 200th career NFL victory in Week 16 against the Detroit Lions and tied Chuck Noll for ninth all time with 193 regular-season wins in a Week 18 victory against the Baltimore Ravens that clinched the AFC North title.

With Tomlin’s departure, the Steelers will begin the search for just their fourth head coach since 1969. Before his resignation, Tomlin was the longest-tenured head coach of any North American professional sports franchise, having taken the Steelers job in 2007. He finishes his career in Pittsburgh with 193 regular-season wins, 114 losses and two ties.

Steelers reporter Brooke Pryor and NFL reporters Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano answer the pressing questions in the wake of Tomlin’s departure.

How much of a shock is the news of Mike Tomlin’s departure?

Though there had been rumblings that Tomlin could walk away, potentially to pursue opportunities in television, his announcement and decision coming to fruition was still a surprise to many in the Steelers’ building. Tomlin’s Tuesday started as it often did during the regular season, with an early-morning arrival and a scheduled 2 p.m. team meeting. Players were in the locker room cleaning out their lockers following Monday’s wild-card loss. Before Tomlin’s meeting, there didn’t appear to be any indication that the players inside the locker room knew big news was coming. Less than 24 hours earlier, both Cameron Heyward and Aaron Rodgers had stumped for their head coach’s job.

And in the locker room Tuesday afternoon, tight end Jonnu Smith said he couldn’t imagine the Steelers without Tomlin.

“Ever since my childhood growing up, it was Mike Tomlin, Mike Tomlin, Mike Tomlin, Mike Tomlin, and winning,” he said. “And winning and winning. And the culture that the city has established football-wise based around what Mike Tomlin has done, the culture that he’s built, the way he’s constructed this team, the way he’s treated people in the building, the way he’s cared about this organization so much, and has embodied the true meaning of a Pittsburgh Steeler.” — Pryor

Who could the Steelers target at head coach, and how does Pittsburgh’s tendency to keep coaches for decades factor into this decision?

This is an all-hands-on-deck, drop-everything job for any and all candidates. The Steelers have had three head coaches since 1969, uncanny stability for the modern era. The championship tradition, coupled with the chance for real tenure, will make Pittsburgh’s the best job available. The Steelers will prioritize leadership, most likely, and as they did with Tomlin, they could identify a rising star in the business.

Several defensive coordinators — the Los Angeles Rams‘ Chris Shula, the Green Bay Packers‘ Jeff Hafley and the Los Angeles Chargers‘ Jesse Minter — seem to fit that mold. Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman has rebuffed NFL intrigue but could revisit that for a job like this. The Steelers would be smart to modernize the offense, looking hard at that side of the ball, so several young offensive playcallers could come into play. — Fowler

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Alex Smith lauds ‘one of a kind’ Aaron Rodgers Alex Smith joins the “The Rich Eisen Show” to discuss Aaron Rodgers’ career after the Steelers’ wild-card loss to the Texans.

What does the future hold for Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers’ QB position?

Rodgers’ one-year deal expired with Monday’s wild-card loss, but he recently expressed that he hadn’t thought about what was next for him. After posting a playoff career-low of 14.3 QBR in Monday night’s loss to Houston, Rodgers said he wasn’t going to make an “emotional” decision about his future. In June, he told “The Pat McAfee Show” that he was “pretty sure” 2025 would be his last season.

If that is indeed the case, the Steelers would be in the market for their next starting quarterback. Mason Rudolph is under contract for another year, and the team also selected former Ohio State quarterback Will Howard in the sixth round of the 2025 draft. The Steelers have been doing their homework on the 2026 quarterback draft class, but with a pick at No. 21, they aren’t likely to land one of the few top-tier rookie signal-callers unless they use draft capital to move up.

Like last year, Pittsburgh will undoubtedly host a number of quarterbacks on predraft visits to do their due diligence, but it seems more likely the Steelers would look for another inexpensive bridge quarterback option to get them to a stronger 2027 draft class. — Pryor

What’s next for Tomlin?

On some level, whatever he wants (other than coaching the Steelers). He’ll likely draw interest from multiple TV networks for a variety of possible roles if he wants to take some time off from coaching, with the potential to go back later. He’ll also surely draw interest from teams that need a head coach, since plenty of these front offices are looking for coaches who have NFL head coaching experience; no one on the current market except John Harbaugh has anywhere close to as much of that as he does.

Tomlin’s entry into the coaching free agent market is sure to alter teams’ plans and interview schedules, and if he wants to jump right into another head coaching job, he’ll have his pick. — Graziano

How does the 2025 season affect Tomlin’s legacy?

Tomlin’s final season was a microcosm of his 19-year tenure at the helm of the Steelers. There were incredible highs and improbable wins coupled with inconceivable lows and befuddling losses. Ultimately, the 10-7 final season was like so many before — good enough to reach the postseason, but not good enough to make a run and recapture the magic of his early years. The Tomlin era in Pittsburgh will be remembered for near-instant success and an unprecedented streak of non-losing seasons as the head coach raised the floor of his squad every single season by being a transparent leader and a players’ coach.

“Obviously, he’s the fall guy, right? You look at this situation and you said, ‘OK, we went down. Who’s the leader?’ They’re going to look at the leader. And for us, that’s Mike Tomlin. But we had a hell of a leader, a great leader, a man that is capable of leading us to ultimately the ultimate goal. And he’s done it. He’s very capable of doing it. Like I said before, we just came up short,” Smith said on Monday. — Pryor

Mario Balotelli is about to begin the latest chapter in his unique career with the news that the well-traveled Italian striker has signed for United Arab Emirates side Al Ittifaq on a two-and-a-half-year contract.

The Dubai-based side play in the second tier of UAE football and is rock bottom of the standings. It is also the 14th club of Balotelli’s career to date.

Balotelli had been a free agent since the summer and has not played competitive football since December 2024, following a somewhat underwhelming stint back in Italy with Genoa. The 35-year-old mustered just six league appearances for the club, all of which came off the bench.

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The oft-controversial forward has struggled to settle anywhere since leaving Liverpool in 2015 and has spent periods at various clubs in France, Italy, Turkey and Switzerland. However, he has never recaptured the mercurial form that saw him win the Premier League title with Manchester City, earn 36 caps for his country and even get nominated for the 2012 Ballon d’Or.

Though it is worth recalling why we all fell in love with him in the first place. That is, of course, his vast array of misguided mischief and antics.

The cars

Mario Balotelli And His Camouflage Bentley #mariobalotelli #ACMilan #Footballer #Bentley #footballercars pic.twitter.com/zTUo8pz1or

— Footballers Cars® (@FootballerCars) March 9, 2013

Balotelli has owned a succession of high-end supercars over the years, but perhaps the most memorable (other than the handful he has managed to crash and write off) is the astounding camouflaged Bentley he proudly unveiled while pulling up to City training in 2011.

The cold shoulder

Among the most famous goals of Balotelli’s career came for City during a 5-1 pummelling of Norwich City in 2011. The Italian added his side’s fourth goal of the rout with one of the most nonchalant finishes the Premier League has ever witnessed, nudging the ball over the line with a shrug of his shoulders.

The dart ‘prank’

In March 2011, City were forced to launch an internal investigation in a so-called “prank” that took place at their training complex after it emerged that the then-20-year-old Balotelli had been throwing darts out of an upstairs window in the general direction of youth team players.

Thankfully, nobody was hurt as a result.

The preseason trick shot

While it wasn’t the first (or last) time he would invoke the wrath of his manager, Balotelli got himself instantly substituted inside the first 30 minutes of a preseason friendly against LA Galaxy in 2011 when a botched trick shot enraged coach Roberto Mancini to the point that he decided to hook the striker on the spot.

The fireworks

‘Twas the eve of the Manchester derby and all through Balotelli’s house nothing was stirring — nothing except the impromptu fireworks display that the City striker and his friends decided to stage in his own bathroom for reasons unknown.

Roughly 24 hours before kickoff, the Italian striker had to be evacuated from his lodgings by the fire brigade after things got out of hand, leading to a stern ticking off and an enforced stint as the club’s ambassador for fireworks safety.

“The newspapers got the story wrong about me and the fire at my house,” Balotelli later said while promoting a firework safety campaign. “I didn’t set any fireworks off, it was a friend of mine. I didn’t know anything about it until I heard the shouting coming from the bathroom.

“Luckily, nobody was injured, and my friend apologised to me for the damage to my house. It was a really stupid thing for him to do, someone could have been really hurt, and I was really, really angry with him about it.

“They can be very dangerous if they are not used in the right way. People should follow the firework code.”

The T-shirt

Despite finding himself making headlines once again, Balotelli scored the first two goals in what proved to be a 6-1 demolition of rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford in the aforementioned derby fixture, leading to one of the most famous goal celebrations in Premier League history.

“Why always me?”, indeed.

The pet pig

What do you get the man who has everything? Why a pet micro pig, of course — and that is precisely what Balotelli announced he had taken delivery of in 2014 when an adorable little oinker by the name of Super came into his life.

The statue

7 years ago, we were all at the mercy of Mario Balotelli’s epic goal celebration in the Euro semifinals. pic.twitter.com/JWVgsDQlcV

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 28, 2019

With a pig running loose about the house, Balotelli obviously felt the need to further feather his nest with a large bronze statue of himself.

According to Brescia-based artist Livio Scarpella, the striker commissioned an effigy of himself in full “Power Flex” mode — a nod to the iconic shirtless goal celebration he hit after scoring for Italy against Germany in the semifinals of Euro 2012.

“I received the commission, but have never actually met Balotelli, so I am working from photographs,” Scarpella said. “I presented various sketches, but Mario wanted to be immortalised in the pose after the goal: muscles in evidence and an expression to challenge the opponents.

Unfortunately it would appear that the statue never materialised, so we can only imagine how tasteful and subtle it might have been.

The selfie celebration

Mario Balotelli’s latest goal celebration is something else! 😂 pic.twitter.com/uxgIJVS7dB

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 4, 2019

No stranger to a goal celebration, Balotelli had his third viral smash hit in 2019 when he scored for Marseille against Saint-Étienne and then proceeded to retrieve a mobile phone from behind the goal and mark the occasion with a group selfie.

The pasta incident

After departing Liverpool under something of a cloud, Balotelli got off to a flying start with Nice by scoring a raft of goals in Ligue 1. However, while his form improved drastically, tales of his previous antics continued to surface.

In 2016, Balotelli’s former Italy U21 teammate Salvatore Bocchetti claimed that the striker tried to start a food fight during a meal with the squad.

“One day were were eating in the dining room with the rest of the squad,” the then-Spartak Moscow defender told Russian television show Kul’t Tura. “Balotelli arrived and he just throw a plate of pasta into the face of Marco Motta!

“He’s a good player but he’s got no head! He’s crazy! He’s got no brain.”

The Puskas nomination

As well as his often overlooked Ballon d’Or nod in 2012, it is also worth remembering that Balotelli was also shortlisted for the Puskas Award thanks to the extraordinary rabona goal he scored for Adana Demirspor in 2022.

Balotelli’s fancy effort eventually finished fourth in the running with Polish amputee player Marcin Oleksy winning the 2022 Puskas Award for his incredible volley.

The fireworks (Part II)

Mario Balotelli tossing mini fireworks in the Adana Demirspor locker room 😂🧨pic.twitter.com/jR4nE4pcHd

— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) March 6, 2024

Having obviously failed to heed the lessons of 2011, Balotelli undermined his position as City’s chief firework safety officer when he was filmed throwing lit firecrackers around in the Adana Demirspor dressing room.

The haircuts

From fluffy tufts to high-rise mohawks, Balotelli has worn many weird and wonderful coifs but perhaps the most elaborate of them all came in 2019 when the Italian unveiled a new tinted warrior braid arrangement which he accessorized with a cluster of dainty silver earrings.

NEWCASTLE, England — For most of the second half, the song drifting down from the top of the Leazes Stand at St. James’ Park was “Gold” by Spandau Ballet. It’s the tune Manchester City fans have adopted to honor their newest signing, Antoine Semenyo, and there were plenty of reasons to give it a good airing on a cold Tuesday night in Newcastle.

The winger, signed from Bournemouth for £64 million five days ago, followed his debut goal against Exeter City on Saturday with another in the Carabao Cup semifinal first leg. It was a tap-in from six inches, and he will no doubt score better ones over the course of his 5½-year contract in Manchester. He might not score a more important one.

For a long time it looked like City, struggling with injuries to key defenders, were happy to get out of there with a draw, in the hopes of booking their place in the final when Newcastle visit the Etihad Stadium in three weeks’ time for the second leg. But after Semenyo’s goal and a second from substitute Rayan Cherki in the 98th minute earned an impressive 2-0 win, those supporters singing in Newcastle will be already tentatively booking trips to Wembley.

“We know Bournemouth did an incredible job with him, and every time the ball arrives to him, he always is there,” said Guardiola. The right man in the right place, in more ways than one.

Semenyo was the central figure all night and was inadvertently caught in the middle of both managers’ irritations after the final whistle. Guardiola fumed at the decision to rule out a second goal for Semenyo after a VAR delay of nearly six minutes. “I’m pretty sure [referees’ chief] Howard Webb is going to come in tomorrow to give an explanation of that,” said the City boss, visibly annoyed.

Newcastle coach Eddie Howe, meanwhile, was asked afterward whether it was fair that Semenyo was allowed to play despite featuring for Bournemouth earlier in the competition. Only a rule change this season allowed it to happen. “The rules are the rules,” Howe said with a rueful look on his face. “I can’t focus on that too much.”

As good as City’s performance was, Guardiola admitted the night had been decided by “fine margins” and it was Semenyo who got the all-important first goal. When his song finally died down in stoppage time, the City fans switched almost seamlessly to chants of “Is there a fire drill?” It was in response to the streams of Newcastle supporters heading to the exits despite their team still pushing for what — at that point — would still have been an important goal.

Perhaps they thought it would never come because of the preceding 90-plus minutes. That had everything to do with center backs Abdukodir Khusanov and Max Alleyne. The pair — one 20 years old and the other 21 — were only playing because of injuries to Josko Gvardiol, Rúben Dias and John Stones. Alleyne was playing on loan at Watford against Birmingham as recently as New Year’s Day.

They walked out for kickoff at St. James’ Park faced with a banner displayed by the home fans that read: “Get into ’em.” If anything, though, it was the other way around.

There were some nervous moments early on. Khusanov miscontrolled a high ball and was almost robbed by Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon. A pass from City goalkeeper James Trafford rolled under Alleyne’s foot in his own penalty area. But as the game went on, their confidence grew. By halftime, Alleyne was driving into midfield and fizzing passes into Erling Haaland‘s feet.

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Their first job was to stop Newcastle scoring, and they did it perfectly. Howe’s side — roared forward by all four corners of the stadium at every opportunity — managed only three shots on target. They don’t often fail to score at home, having done so only once since November 2024.

Yoanne Wissa forced Trafford into a good save with a header in the second half, but that was about it. Striker Nick Woltemade came on for the last 20 minutes and couldn’t do any better.

“It was a good test,” said Guardiola. “With Wissa on transitions and Woltemade with the ball. They were extraordinary defensively. I cannot be more grateful to Watford, because [Alleyne] made a step up as a football player. “

It bodes well for City that Semenyo, Khusanov and Alleyne can step up in an important moment with vital games to come in the next seven days. On Saturday, it’s a Manchester derby at Old Trafford. On Tuesday, it’s a trip to the Arctic Circle to face Bodo/Glimt with a place in the top eight of the Champions League up for grabs.

Guardiola has spoken more than once this season about certain games — pressurized games — offering his rebuilt squad the chance to grow. Real Madrid in the Bernabeu was one. A cup semifinal at Newcastle was another.

With another examination passed, his new team is in sight of another trophy.