Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to part ways in January this year after 19 seasons. Rather than being fired, the coach chose to step down on his own terms. It ended a historic run, as he never experienced a losing season with the team. And it seems like both sides aren’t looking to burn any bridges anytime soon.
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This morning, the Steelers team X account decided to wish Tomlin a happy birthday. The Super Bowl-winning coach is now 54 years old. He was first hired when he was just 34 and had the seventh-longest tenure with an NFL team in history.
It was a nice gesture by the team. It’s only been two months since Tomlin left, and they decided to show him some respect rather than act salty. This shows that he left on good terms and is still a beloved figure in the clubhouse.
However, some fans felt that the birthday post was awkward. “When you forget to update your scheduled birthday tweet queue,” one joked.
“Wishing your ex a happy birthday is weird,” another added. Others made jokes about Tomlin’s consistently just above-average end-of-season records, which earned him 19 seasons without a losing record.
“Blew out 8 of 16 candles. Gotta respect his consistency,” they joked.
“Wait I thought his birthday was on 9-8 or 10-7,” someone else piled on.
Blew out 8 of 16 candles. Gotta respect his consistency.
— Ozzy (@ozzyjones_) March 15, 2026
It was an interesting comment section that consisted of all sorts of reactions. Some wished Tomlin a happy birthday, while others shared their true feelings about him. Some fans even admitted that they already miss him as the head coach. They haven’t even played a game without him yet, so we can’t really blame those fans.
Regardless, the post shows that Tomlin left on very good terms. It doesn’t matter what the fans think or say; he was an important figure for the franchise for almost two decades. It’s more than understandable why they’d want to honor him on his one day of the year.
