How many coaches in the NFL are better than Mike Tomlin?

I know we bash Mike Tomlin, and many times justifiably so, but how many coaches in the NFL are better than Mike Tomlin? I would pick Detroit's Dan Campbell but he certainly hasn't accomplished nearly what Tomlin has. Does what he's accomplished need to be taken account? If you do count that, then there aren't many better than Tomlin.

Here's the list of NFL coaches as per Wikipedia:


The current head coaches of the NFL teams, as of October 23, 2025, are as follows:

• : Jonathan Gannon Arizona
  
  
• : Raheem Morris Atlanta
  
  
• : John Harbaugh Baltimore
  
  
• : Sean McDermott Buffalo
  
  
• : Dave Canales Carolina
  
  
• : Ben Johnson Chicago
  
  
• : Zac Taylor Cincinnati
  
  
• : Kevin Stefanski Cleveland
  
  
• : Brian Schottenheimer Dallas
  
  
• : Sean Payton Denver
  
  
• : Dan Campbell Detroit
  
  
• : Matt LaFleur Green Bay
  
  
• : DeMeco Ryans Houston
  
  
• : Shane Steichen Indianapolis
  
  
• : Liam Coen Jacksonville
  
  
• : Andy Reid Kansas City
  
  
• : Pete Carroll Las Vegas
  
  
• : Jim Harbaugh LA Chargers
  
  
• : Sean McVay LA Rams
  
  
• : Mike McDaniel Miami
  
  
• : Kevin O’Connell Minnesota
  
  
• : Mike Vrabel New England
  
  
• : Kellen Moore New Orleans
  
  
• : Brian Daboll New York G.
  
  
• : Aaron Glenn New York J.
  
  
• : Nick Sirianni Philadelphia
  
  
• : Mike Tomlin Pittsburgh
  
  
• : Kyle Shanahan San Francisco
  
  
• : Mike Macdonald Seattle
  
  
• : Todd Bowles Tampa Bay
  
  
• : Mike McCoy Tennessee
  
  
• : Dan Quinn Washington
  
  So which NFL coaches are better than Tomlin?
  

 

Shanahan, McVey, Johnson, Sirianni, Reid, Steichen, Vrabel, Campbell, Bowles, McDermott, Quinn.... all better than Popcorn.

If O'Connell, Schottenheimer, Zac Taylor (with old Flacco) win playoff games this year... then they are also better.

 

Tomlin has 66% of going into the post season (which honestly is not hard with today's new role of an extra team).

Tomlin has 42% wins of all post season games.

Reid, laflaure, sirrani, Harbaugh, mcvay have taken their teams into going into a post season more.

Shanahan (which is also 50% taking his team to post season), mcvay, Reid, Harbaugh, Taylor, cambel, have more success in winning in the post season.

So I would say 5ish coaches are better than Tomlin.

 

I think Shanahan, Reid and a few others would have absolutely got more SB's with the talent we had then 1 with Mike.

 

The Harbaughs are overrated like Tomlin. Carroll is past his prime, but has been to 2 Super Bowls, winning one more recently... so he's better.

 

Good way to look at it.

 

Career wise,Tomlin has one of the better resume in the league especially in his first 4-5 years, but since the Tebow game, too many wtf moments

 

In terms of raising the floor of a decidedly mediocre team and avoiding a losing season despite long odds: Literally no one.

In terms of raising the ceiling of an already good team, penalty challenges, and executing other game day decisions like use of TOs and clock management in general: Literally almost anyone.

 

You can throw in sean payton as well.

 

By what measures?

 

Andy Reid is the only HC with any claim to be 'better' than Mike Tomlin currently.

 

The killer B’s absolutely had at least two super bowl appearances in them. Whoever could have got them there is better than Tomlin. I imagine a few on that list could do it.

 

How many playoff games did the 'Killer B's' play in together?

 

not enough thanks to the HC and the coaching staff.

how many playoff games has Tomlin won in the last 14 years? And are you satisfied with that?

 

Tomlin made the playoffs with members of the 'Killer B's' out due to injury.


2017!!! That is the only game all members of the 'Killer B's' played in a playoff game together. Every other time at least 1 member was out of the game due to injury.



Just ask @Steelersfan43. He can tell you exactly who played and when.

 

That’s wrong, Ben, AB and Bell played in 4 playoff games together. But it goes beyond that. Tomlin has won just 3 playoff games with Ben Roethlisberger, between 2011 and 2021. Most of that at the height of his career. And that was with a loaded offense, All pro line, and for the most part, a top 10 defense. No excuses for a ‘great’ coach.

i’ll ask you again, are you happy with 3 playoff wins in the last 14 years?

 

By whatever criteria you choose. With Trump and no censorship like the Demonrats wanted, you still have freedom of thought and expression.

 

Go take that trash somewhere else. Steelers massage board here. There are plenty of other places to go and cry.

 

Took the left turn in Albuquerque and wound up in the same old place!

 

This is a massage board? Does DeShaun Watson know?

 

They did play in 4 but only in 2 seasons. I was thinking in terms of playoff years not individual games. But there were frustrating playoffs when one or more were out injured. That's more what I remember about the Killer B's era.


Back to better coaches than Tomlin. Not based on opinion but on actual accomplishments, only Reid currently.

 

i would give you almost all of these as well.