Ryan Clark says Mike Tomlin has underachieved

The former Steelers safety, and notorious Mike Tomlin defender Ryan Clark had some interesting thoughts on his former coach

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in a slump for the better part of a decade. While they’ve finished every season .500 or better, they haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season. In the process, the Steelers have allowed 28+ points in five straight playoff games.

As the seasons without a playoff win compound, the largest of Mike Tomlin defenders have started to question whether it’s time for the organization and the head coach to part ways. Former Steelers safety Ryan Clark has been the most vocal defender of Tomlin, and in a recent appearance on Get Up, Clark said that Tomlin, as well as Aaron Rodgers, have underachieved in their careers.

“At the end of the season, we’re going to look back at these two first-ballot Hall of Famers who we hold in such high esteem, and I think we’re going to finally realize that both Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin has underachieved in their career,” Clark said. “Both of them have such a high floor of talent, of ability, of potential to be the greatest that’s ever done it at their individual positions and places on their team, and they both underachieved. If you would’ve told me that after Aaron Rodgers beat us [in the Super Bowl] in 2011 that both him and Mike Tomlin would not go back to a Super Bowl and we’d be in 2025, I would have bet my entire savings on [that being wrong], and I would’ve been broke.”

It’s frankly odd to see the constant switch-up from Clark, who called Mike Tomlin “unfireable,” now saying he has underachieved in his career. However, if the Steelers suffer the same fate as they have over the last eight years in 2025, it would be hard to say Clark is wrong.