Steelers legend James Harrison says Mike Tomlin is not a HOF coach
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For 10 of his 15 NFL seasons, outside linebacker James Harrison played for then-head coach Mike Tomlin with the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, since his retirement in 2017, Harrison has been quite outspoken when it comes to the Steelers and Tomlin. Now, with Tomlin stepping down as the head coach after 19 seasons, everyone, including Harrison is talking about Tomlin's legacy.
Harrison made the point during his podcast with fellow former Steeler Joe Haden is the fact that Tomlin has no coaching tree is why he's not a Hall of Fame coach.
"I can't give him a Hall of Fame coach because he hasn't made disciples," Harrison said.
Deebo did not hold back. Nineteen years or not, he says Mike Tomlin is not a Hall of Fame coach and points straight at the postseason record and the empty coaching tree.@jharrison9292@joehaden23#DeeboAndJoepic.twitter.com/kUXagXFhz1— Deebo & Joe (@deeboandjoe) January 16, 2026
Truth be told, this is a fair point. Had Tomlin been able to turn a few more of those non-losing seasons into playoff runs, this might not be an issue. The fact that Tomlin doesn't cultivate coaches has always been because he wants assistants he can manage and will carry out his plan, rather than innovate and utilize their own vision.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers legend James Harrison says Mike Tomlin is not a HOF coach
