T.J. Watt and Aaron Rodgers took the Mike Tomlin news hard.
According to Mike DeFabo of The Athletic, T.J. Watt and Aaron Rodgers were devastated when Mike Tomlin told them that he was stepping down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Watt and Rodgers cried and the latter kept yelling, "No."
The Steelers lost to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round of the 2026 NFL playoffs. Tomlin called a meeting with his players the next day and told them he was leaving the franchise.
Rodgers becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason and many people believe he will retire now that Tomlin is no longer in Pittsburgh.
Meanwhile, Watt signed an extension with the Steelers, so he's probably not going anywhere unless he requests a trade.
The Steelers hired Tomlin in 2007. Tomlin went 193-113-2 in the regular season and 8-12 in the playoffs. He guided the franchise to the Super Bowl during the 2008 season.
"It felt like a funeral," one staff member told DeFabo. "I teared up. It's like finding out your dad died."
"No one really saw it coming," another player said. "Did we have an inkling? There were rumblings, but we thought he would play out his contract, at least one more year. We all thought at least one more year."
"Every single player in that building wants to play for Mike T," said one player. "Were guys upset with coordinators? Yes. Was it the head guy? No."
It will be fascinating to see who replaces Tomlin in Pittsburgh. That guy will have huge shoes to fill.
Tomlin ranks ninth on the NFL’s all-time wins list and his .628 career winning percentage is 26th all-time. He led the Steelers to the playoffs in 13 of his 19 seasons and won eight AFC North titles, including this season.
"Mike T's had more success than damn-near anybody in the league for the last 19-20 years," Rodgers said after the Texans beat the Steelers. "More than that, though, when you have the right guy and the culture is right, you don't think about making a change."
According to DeFabo, Rodgers said "I'm sorry" to Tomlin multiple times during the meeting. It was certainly an emotional day for everyone.