PITTSBURGH —Two weeks ago, Ben Roethlisberger wondered aloud whether it would be better for Mike Tomlin if the longtime Pittsburgh Steelers head coach opted for a change of scenery.
Before Monday night's primetime game against the Miami Dolphins , the iconic former Steelers quarterback dug in on his comments.
"I don't think I say anything negative," Roethlisberger said. "I don't critique the player. I'll critique the play. And just because I said that there's a time for, maybe, some new things, that's just saying that I think Coach Tomlin, if he wants to move on, he has every right to wanna move on. It's not 'they should.' It's up to him. And he's earned that right.
"If he wants to go do something else, he can and should, and we should honor him, whenever that is. Maybe he wants to coach here for another 10 years — that's fine, too."
Pittsburgh Steelers head caoch Mike Tomlin during a game against the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 7, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Roethlisberger's original speculation on Tomlin's future in the Steel City followed the Steelers' decisive loss to the Buffalo Bills . Whatever fans were left at Acrisure Stadium late called for the head coach's job, a hot-button topic in the days that followed.
"It's being talked about around here a lot. Maybe it's time," Roethlisberger said recently on his podcast. "Maybe it's 'clean house' time. Maybe it is. … 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, whether that's in the pros (or not)."
Tomlin and the Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens last week to, for right now, claim the top spot in the AFC North. Along with center Maurkice Pouncey and linebacker Joey Porter, Roethlisberger is one of the newest members of the team's Hall of Honor.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Ben Roethlisberger Defends Comments on Mike Tomlin's Steelers Future
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