Don Kelly suddenly carries Pittsburgh’s sports hopes after Mike Tomlin exit

It's one thing for a first-time manager to have the weight of playoff expectations on his shoulders. It's another for him to be expected to handle the burden of an entire city thirsting for a championship.

Though Don Kelly technically took over as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates partway through the 2025 season, this upcoming campaign will be his first year as the full-time skipper. He's already restructured the coaching staff in an effort to change the clubhouse's culture following seven consecutive losing seasons.

That stands in stark contrast to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have done nothing but win for decades on end. However, following a record-tying seven consecutive playoff losses, the architect of the last 20 years of Steelers football, Mike Tomlin, is finally leaving the franchise.

Regardless of who the Steelers hire next, Kelly is now the longest-tenured head coach of any Pittsburgh team in pro sports. No pressure, kid.

Pirates carry massive expectations after offseason moves, Mike Tomlin's resignation

It's hard to overstate how influential Tomlin was in Pittsburgh, as he was the longest-tenured head coach in any of the four major professional sports before stepping down. His 19-year run with the Steelers — all of which ended with non-losing seasons — is almost unfathomable in the context of modern sports. That kind of longevity (and loyalty) is almost impossible to find nowadays.

His legacy continued a longstanding streak for the Steelers, as each of their head coaches since 1969 (Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and Tomlin) have won at least one Super Bowl and lasted at least 15 seasons. Even for all of the Penguins' success since the 1990s and the Pirates' dominance in the 1970s, the Steelers have been the torchbearers for Pittsburgh for the better part of the last 60 years.

Now, as they eye a new head coach and a potential rebuild for the first time in two decades, the Pirates are positioned (at least in the short term) to become the city's golden child.

The acquisitions of Brandon Lowe, Ryan O'Hearn, and Jhostynxon Garcia should set a new expectation for the offense, while the presence of Paul Skenes and Bubba Chandler in the rotation should make the Bucs one of the hardest teams in the league to score on. Plus, Kelly did great work in 2025 after taking over for Derek Shelton, piloting the team to a 59-65 finish following an abysmal 12-26 start.

There's still a gap separating the Pirates from the National League's elite, but with the Steelers likely to take a step back following Tomlin's historic run of competence, even crashing the MLB playoffs for the first time since 2015 would mark a huge moment for Pittsburgh.