The winner of the upcoming “Sunday Night Football” matchup between the 9-7 Pittsburgh Steelers and the 8-8 Baltimore Ravens will enter the playoffs as champions of the AFC North, while the loser will see its season come to an end.
Throughout the final days of 2025, whispers suggested that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin or Ravens head coach John Harbaugh could become available following Week 18. However, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler shared in a piece published on Wednesday that it is not his “expectation” that Tomlin or Harbaugh will be dismissed in January.
Where is hot-seat talk regarding Mike Tomlin, John Harbaugh coming from?
“I’ve heard nothing from inside either building to indicate either team is contemplating a change,” Dan Graziano of ESPN said about the Steelers and Ravens in Wednesday’s article. “Most of the speculation seems to stem from fan discontent, and neither the Steelers nor the Ravens is the type of organization to make compulsive decisions based on fan discontent.”
The Steelers signed Tomlin to a three-year contract extension in June 2024 that includes a team option for 2027 that must be decided on by March 1, 2026. Outside of the constant rumors regarding the subject, there has thus far been no real sign that either he or the Steelers wants to end their working relationship.
As for Harbaugh, Fowler mentioned that the one-time Super Bowl champion head coach has three years left on his deal. Fowler added that he doesn’t anticipate Harbaugh “initiating an exit” even if the Ravens lose to the Steelers.
Why fans may want to move on from Mike Tomlin, John Harbaugh
Tomlin famously has never had a losing season since accepting the Pittsburgh job in 2007, but he also hasn’t guided the club to a playoff victory since the 2016 campaign. Meanwhile, Ravens quarterback and two-time regular-season MVP Lamar Jackson has yet to make a single Super Bowl appearance while playing under Harbaugh.
“Count me among those who would be extremely surprised if Tomlin and Harbaugh aren’t back in their current jobs next season,” Graziano directly said. “But I don’t believe either organization has had real conversations yet about the future of their respective coaches.”
In short, it sounds as if neither Tomlin nor Harbaugh will be coaching for his job at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday night.
