"Would Be A Huge Mistake": Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Details What Pittsburgh Cannot Do With Head Coaching Hire

The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering a new era after 19 seasons. Head Coach Mike Tomlin has made the decision to step down from the team, which completely threw the NFL world for a loop on Tuesday afternoon. The franchise will now be on the hunt for just its fourth leader since 1969, a fact that is inexplicable in many ways. Art Rooney II will lead the search and there is no doubt that General Manager Omar Khan will also be involved in the process. The front office can't afford to mess this hire up.

There will be a lot of opinions in the coming days and weeks as the Steelers start to bring in candidates for interviews. Nearly all of the individuals that get the opportunity to speak with Rooney and Khan will be external, but there also is an experienced former head coach on the staff. Arthur Smith is likely to get the chance to plead his case sooner rather than later.

Former players are already chiming in about what's next in Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger often voices his opinions on his podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger. When discussing the Tomlin news, he mentioned on an episode that was released on Wednesday morning that the Steelers have to stay away from doing one thing specifically during the process.

"They're going to have to start over to a certain degree," Roethlisberger said. "I mean, unless the team hires within, which I think would be a huge mistake. No disrespect to anyone that's [in] the organization. I think you need a change. You need something new. Coach Tomlin has his regime in here and you need to find something new that can kind of get a new spark."

The future Hall of Fame quarterback made sure to note that he wasn't trying to disrespect anyone that currently is in the building. That mainly is relevant to Smith, as he is pretty much the only coach who has the pedigree to earn the job. When Pittsburgh hired Tomlin in 2007, he was a young, relatively unknown individual in the NFL world. It seems like Roethlisberger is asking the team to try and find another needle in a haystack.

The Steelers' job immediately jumps to the top of the market. The franchise does not have a long-term plan at quarterback, but the loyalty that the Rooney family has proven to have over the years is something any coach would desire. Pittsburgh is not going to give up on the new leader in a matter of one or two seasons. The front office is going to be patient and allow whoever replaces Tomlin to develop his own culture.

Tomlin is a Hall of Fame coach, but sometimes a message runs stale and it is time to make a change. From the looks of it, the 19-year veteran walked away on his own; however, it's hard to imagine that it wasn't somewhat mutual, specifically after a head-scratching loss late in the season to the Cleveland Browns.

There is a lot of pressure on Rooney and Khan to get this right, and the good news is that there are plenty of candidates that are going to be happy to interview with the Steelers.

Steelers Now Face Interesting Dilemma

Without a quarterback or head coach, Pittsburgh is in an intriguing position. The new coach will have to be a leader and motivator, because it's very possible that the team has a tough time winning games in 2026. There are a lot of important decisions to be made, but the dominos will not fall until a new head coach is hired in the Steel City.

Do you think that the Steelers will make the right hire? Let us know in the comments below!

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