“The Best Thing That Ever Happened”: Former Steelers Coach Shares Honest Thoughts on Being Fired by Mike Tomlin

For years, the Pittsburgh Steelers maintained that then-offensive coordinator Bruce Arians had opted to retire. But Arians later clarified that Mike Tomlin had effectively fired him by letting his contract expire. Although he told HBO’s “Real Sports” that he felt hurt and betrayed by the way things went down, his success over the years has changed his perception.

Arians recounted the story of his departure from Pittsburgh on the Not Just Football with Cam Heyward podcast on October 7. When asked if he really retired, the former coach joked, saying he was “refired”. But he now believed that it turned out to be the best thing for him.

“It was time to move and it was probably the best thing that ever happened. I’ve probably never been a head coach, you know,” Arians admitted. “I went to Indianapolis and Chuck got sick, got to be the interim coach and got coach of the year, which opened the door to become a head coach cuz after Super Bowl XLIII, I never even got a phone call.”

The former offensive coordinator of the Steelers explained how the situation completely changed within the span of a short offseason trip. Arians explained how Mike Tomlin, the Steelers’ head coach at the time, seemed to be happy with Arians’ performance, even assuring him that he would get an extension.

“I talked to Mike. He was very happy and went down to the lake and called me on Monday and told me I didn’t have a job anymore,” Arians said. “So, it was time to move on. So, yeah, it was hard.”

Arians himself believed that an extension was imminent after helping build an offense that went to the Super Bowl thrice and won it twice during his eight years with the team, first as wide receivers coach and later as offensive coordinator. 

But after losing the Super Bowl XLV, the team believed that Arians’ style of offense wasn’t running the ball enough. The front office and Tomlin also had concerns regarding his close relationship with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. But as the former Cardinals head coach pointed out, he might have never become a head coach if he didn’t leave the Steelers. 

“Every other coordinator from the Steelers had always got to be a head coach when they won the Super Bowl,” Arians added. “I didn’t even get a phone call. So I knew it wasn’t in the cards for me. And then you know that really, that firing opened the door to all the success I had at the end.”

The Colts signed him for the position of offensive coordinator in January 2012. But when head coach Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia and began treatment, Arians took over as interim head coach. He led the team to a 9-3 record and won the AP NFL Coach of the Year award. 

That opened up new doors for Arians, and he became head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2013, a position he retained for the next five years, until 2017. He won ‘Winningest Coach in Franchise History’ honors and the 2014 AP NFL Coach of the Year during that time. 

Although he decided to retire after the 2017 season, he was hired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as head coach in 2019. He stayed with the team for three seasons, leading the team to Super Bowl LV (2021), defeating Kansas City 31-9.

Although he stepped down as head coach in March 2022, he is still working with the Bucs. He transitioned into an upper-management role as a senior football consultant for the franchise.

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