Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin seems to have lost the support of his former star quarterback to keep his current job.

Ben Roethlisberger said on an episode of his podcast Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger that it’s “maybe” time for the Steelers to move on from Tomlin.

“Maybe it’s a clean house time,” Roethlisberger said at the 19:40 mark of the episode. “Maybe it is. Maybe it’s time.

“And I like Coach Tomlin, I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin. But maybe it’s best for him, too. Maybe a fresh start for him is what’s best.”

Roethlisberger’s comments come three days after the Steelers dropped to 6-6 on the season following a 26-7 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Roethlisberger continued, “Here’s what you don’t do: You don’t fire a guy like Coach Tomlin. He’s a Hall of Fame coach, he’s respected. What you do is, you come to an understanding, and an agreement. It’s like, ‘Hey, listen. I think it’s probably best for both of us.’

“Because, listen. We’ve had the same head coach in Coach Tomlin. We’ve had different offensive coordinators, different defensive coordinators. But it’s kind of the same story.”

Tomlin has worked with five different full-time offensive coordinators and three defensive coordinators since joining the Steelers in 2007.

After leading the Steelers to a Super Bowl XLIII win in his second season with the team, Tomlin has been unable to secure a playoff win since 2016.

That drought seems to be at risk of stretching into a ninth season.

After climbing to the top of the AFC north with a 4-1 start to the 2025 season, the Steelers have gone 2-5 in a stretch that has left the team outside the playoff bubble heading into Week 14.

The Steelers looked so non-competitive in last Sunday’s home loss that fans started booing Styx’s longtime defensive hype song “Renegade.”

Tomlin said after the game that he can “share frustrations” with the crowd at Acrisure Stadium.

He also told reporters that “our last performance wasn’t up to snuff, but I don’t know that it lessens our belief in self or our ability to deliver individually and collectively moving forward.”

Roethlisberger sounded less confident that Tomlin could find future success after eight straight seasons without a postseason win.

Instead, the former Steelers quarterback suggested Tomlin should consider coaching at Penn State, where the Nittany Lions are still looking for James Franklin’s replacement after reportedly falling short of a deal with BYU head coach Kalani Sitake.

“Maybe go be Penn State’s head coach. You know what he would do at Penn State? He would probably go win national championships,” Roethlisberger said. “Because he’s a great recruiter.”

For now Tomlin, the longest-tenured coach in the NFL, focus will now turn toward a crucial division matchup with the Baltimore Ravens next Sunday. Whichever team wins in Baltimore will take sole possession of the AFC North lead.