Throughout the start of the 2026 offseason, one question surrounding the New York Jets has been asked more than any other…

“What does Aaron Glenn do well as head coach?”

It’s everywhere. No matter where you go on social media, there’s the question. It doesn’t even matter if you’re looking for information on the Jets or not — the question will be asked by somebody.

For as annoying as that question is for some Jets fans, it pales in comparison to the one Pittsburgh Steelers fans have been asking for the last decade…

“Does Mike Tomlin do anything to improve the Steelers roster as head coach?”

For 19 seasons, Tomlin patrolled the sideline for Pittsburgh. He’s won a Super Bowl, been to another, and never had a losing season.

For a coach to go through that kind of record is impressive. However, it underlies the major problem that has gripped the Steelers for the last decade, and the reason why New York Jets fans should not want Mike Tomlin, should he ever decide to return to coaching.

The real legacy of Mike Tomlin

Mike Tomlin turned heads around the league Tuesday afternoon when he announced he would be “stepping down” from the Steelers organization after his team’s 30-6 defeat to the Houston Texans in the wild-card round.

Pittsburgh, the AFC North champion, snuck into the postseason in the final game of the year and promptly got pounded the minute they entered. It’s been a common occurrence for them under Tomlin.

While his 19 years of .500-plus football are commendable, the lack of tangible results is something every team interested in him as their head coach must grapple with.

In the case of the Jets, Tomlin’s record in the last 15 years is enough alone to stay away.

During his first five seasons (coaching a roster that was built by his predecessor, Bill Cowher), Tomlin went to two Super Bowls and posted a 5-2 playoff record. As Cowher’s team aged out, though, Tomlin did very little to help the Steelers once they actually reached the postseason.

Since 2011, he has achieved three playoff wins (dating back over a decade) alongside 10 playoff losses. He was never able to beat some of the elite quarterbacks, such as Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, or Tom Brady, when it mattered most, despite having talented players on both sides of the ball.

The teams he built on his own also failed to make a significant impact.

Tomlin’s legacy is protected by his overall win-loss record and his streak of winning seasons. However, the last 15 years revealed a coach who was unable to capitalize on a quality team, seeming more focused on maintaining his winning-season streak than actually competing for Super Bowls. With each playoff debacle, he proved to be a coach whose time had passed by.

Like the Jets coach, in Glenn, Tomlin didn’t call plays. He also lived and died by his gospel of culture.

At the end of the day, the very culture produced mediocre-to-average-to-slightly-above-average results.

Culture, at least in the older-school sense of the term, isn’t needed in the modern game, and it’s most definitely something the Jets don’t need at this moment.

What the Jets should look for instead

New York has needed an offensive-minded coach or someone who understood the X’s and O’s of the game more than others. They need someone who is willing to understand that the game has changed since 2010.

Tomlin is not that coach.

If anything, Jets fans who push for the belief that the team should try to trade for the now-former Steelers leader are simply showing that they have learned nothing from their last 15 years of failure.

New York’s roster isn’t as good as Pittsburgh’s. They don’t have the kind of quarterbacks Tomlin has had.

What makes Jets fans think he’ll be able to repeat the success he had in Western Pennsylvania? Simply because of his win-loss record, despite the fact that the Steelers were winless in their last five games against teams that were eight-plus games under .500? A coach whose playoff losing streak goes nearly as far back as the last time the Jets had a winning record?

The game has passed Mike Tomlin by. If he wants to become a head coach after a year removed, the New York Jets should avoid even remotely getting in his sweepstakes.