James Harrison: Mike Tomlin isn’t a Hall of Famer

A Pittsburgh Steelers legend who played many years for Mike Tomlin doesn’t believe Tomlin belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

James Harrison played linebacker under Tomlin’s leadership with Pittsburgh from 2007-12 and 2014-17. He won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2008 and starred on Tomlin’s Super Bowl XLIII champion team.

However, Harrison doesn’t think that Tomlin is a Hall of Famer, as he explained to former Steelers teammate Joe Haden (who was with Pittsburgh from 2017-21) on the latest Deebo & Joe podcast.

“Is Coach T a Hall of Fame coach in your opinion?” Haden asked “Deebo” Harrison.

“No,” 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 #DeeboAndJoe pic.twitter.com/kUXagXFhz1

— Deebo & Joe (@deeboandjoe) January 16, 2026

“To me, I can’t give him a Hall of Fame coach (nod) because he hasn’t made disciples,” Harrison explained. “You’re telling me You’re telling me you’re a Hall of Fame coach, but no one has followed you?… That can’t be the thing. He’s the only coach that has coached this long and does not have a tree. Guys are emotionally attached to him, not performance.”

“A great coach, the measurement of greatness, it’s not based on personal experiences and relationships you have with them,” Harrison said. “It is purely on what you did as a coach. Did you get championships? Did you build disciples?”

Haden disagreed with Harrison’s stance.

“What about wins and losses?” Haden.

“Yes, wins and losses is great, but those wins and losses have to add up to championships,” Harrison responded.

“He has a [championship],” Haden said.

“So, a Hall of Fame should be making history for having the longest losing streak in playoff history?” Harrison added.

Tomlin stepped down as Pittsburgh head coach on Jan. 13, and the speculation has been that he could land a television job next. He coached the last 19 seasons for the Steelers and led them to a 193-114-2 regular-season record, eight playoff wins, 13 playoff appearances, eight division titles, two Super Bowl appearances, and one Super Bowl title. Those 19 years never featured a losing season. His Hall of Fame case is very strong, even if the last 10 seasons ended disappointingly for Pittsburgh.