It’s surprising how long Aaron Rodgers has dragged out the signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers as OTAs have begun around the league. What was once an interesting discussion has turned into a tiresome one. Now, NFL fans and analysts are looking for other people to blame. And they’re starting with Mike Tomlin.
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One of those analysts casting doubts on Tomlin is Emmanuel Acho. He believes the legendary head coach deserves equal blame for allowing the quarterback position to be vacant for so long.
Acho said that Tomlin is undermining the efforts of all his players. While they toil at minicamp, there’s no quarterback to lead them.
“Mike Tomlin is Mike Tomlin’s biggest enemy. Period. We are watching one of the most important positions in sports be absolutely, negligently mishandled. And nobody is saying anything about it,” Acho claimed on FS1’s The Facility.
“I don’t know why, but Tomlin is absolutely undermining the work of all the other 90 players that are currently on the roster, until it gets cut down to 53. TJ Watt could have 35 sacks, won’t matter without a quarterback. Patrick Queen, 250 tackles, won’t matter without a quarterback. Minka Fitzpatrick could have 15 interceptions, won’t matter without a quarterback,” he added.
It’s true that in a way, the Steelers have neglected to address their QB1 situation. They re-signed Mason Rudolph as a backup option but are clearly holding out hope for Aaron Rodgers.
That’s why Acho had to call out Tomlin for neither developing nor signing a quarterback, while Rodgers’ indecision has left the team in limbo.
“Mike Tomlin continues to mishandle this situation. It’s the most negligent and grossly negligent thing we’ve witnessed in sports. Because not only is Mike Tomlin at this moment in time not identifying the proper quarterback, he’s not committing to the proper quarterback, he’s not developing the proper quarterback!” Acho exclaimed.
Additionally, not only did Acho call Tomlin negligent, but he also noted that this will be the fifth straight year that the Steelers will employ a new quarterback. There should’ve been plenty of time for the head coach to usher in a new era after Ben Roethlisberger. But so far, it’s been a complete disaster.
“We are all witnessing this car crash and ain’t nobody calling an ambulance, trusting that someone else is going to do it. It’s a car crash going on with the Steelers quarterback situation. I can’t believe that the Steelers are acting like a complete ignorantly run football organization,” Acho concluded.
Like Acho, many have been stunned by how the Steelers and Tomlin have handled this situation. Either Rodgers should’ve been signed by now, or they should’ve drafted a new prospect, or signed a better backup plan. The ignorance is stunning, coming from an organization that is usually well-run.
“Mike Tomlin is Mike Tomlin’s biggest enemy.” — @EmmanuelAcho pic.twitter.com/tw09mcSKaq
— The Facility (@TheFacilityFS1) May 28, 2025
One has to wonder, how many more bites at the apple is Tomlin going to get? Sure, it’s been 18 consecutive non-losing seasons, which is remarkable in its own right. But he also hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016, and has missed the playoffs in 3 out of the last 7 seasons.
It might be time for the Steelers to move on from Tomlin, as wrong as that feels to say. He’s almost too good a coach for them. His approach to just barely compete rather than throwing out a few seasons to rebuild and return as a real competitor is becoming noticeable.
