After the Pittsburgh Steelers’ disappointing loss to the New England Patriots on Thursday night, speculation started to stir about the status of head coach Mike Tomlin. However, it sounds like he won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported, “It’s hard to find anyone in the Steelers’ organization who strongly believes 51-year-old Mike Tomlin will get fired.”
The Steelers are notorious for their retention of head coaches, as Tomlin is just the third coach the franchise has had since 1969 after Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher. Tomlin’s contract expires at the end of the 2024 season after he didn’t receive an extension this past summer. Still, that doesn’t mean his tenure will end at that time, as Russini pointed out that “Pittsburgh owner Art Rooney II doesn’t make knee-jerk decisions regarding his staff, and he has proven to be one of the most loyal owners in sports.”
Pittsburgh ranks third in the AFC North with a 7-6 record. The team’s offense has struggled to find consistency throughout the year, as it ranks in the bottom half of the NFL with averages of 16.2 points and 292.5 yards per game.
The Steelers already made a major change when they fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada, and Russini noted that “even that was described by people around the league as a surprising move despite how badly the offense was struggling.” However, it reportedly was Tomlin who made the call to let Canada go, as Rooney “was made aware” of the decision.
Pittsburgh remains in the hunt for the playoffs, but the team will face some tough competition over the final four weeks of the season. The Steelers will try to bounce back and remain in contention when they return to action on Dec. 16 against the Indianapolis Colts.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin abruptly left a postgame news conference midway through a question about his contract status following his team’s playoff loss on Monday.
The Steelers lost 31-17 to the Buffalo Bills in the NFL’s Super Wild Card round of the postseason and Tomlin was asked about what his future holds afterwards.
The reporter could be heard saying, “Mike, you have a year left on your contract” before the 51-year-old walked off the podium, effectively ending his press conference.
Tomlin’s contract is due to run out at the end of the 2024 season.
Following Bill Belichick’s departure from the New England Patriots earlier in January, Tomlin is the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL having spent 17 seasons with Pittsburgh.
Although the team’s 2023 campaign was rife with issues – from quarterback problems to defensive injuries – the Steelers finished with a 10-7 record and maintained Tomlin’s NFL record for consecutive non-losing seasons to start a career with 17.
omlin has an overall 173-100-2 record as Pittsburgh head coach, with two Super Bowl appearances, one Super Bowl victory and 11 postseason trips.
When he was hired by Pittsburgh in 2007 at the age of 34, Tomlin became only the third head coach hired by the organization since 1969.
His victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII in his second season at the helm meant he became the youngest head coach in NFL history to both coach in and win a Super Bowl, a record that was later eclipsed by Sean McVay in Super Bowl LVI.
Steelers defensive stalwart Cameron Heyward – who also faced questions about his future following the defeat to the Bills – supported Tomlin and said he expects him to be back.
“Every player wouldn’t be anything without Mike T,” the 34-year-old defensive tackle told reporters. “This group would not function to even get to a playoff berth without Mike T. He keeps us accountable from top to bottom. I don’t want to play for any other coach.”
Heyward added: “I’m a year older. You look at this game, and the average is three years. I’ve beat it every time. But coming off some injuries during the season, it was a testament to even get to the playoffs. We battled all year long.
“I don’t really pay attention to what the coaching thing is because I feel like Mike T
is gonna be back. But that’s not my decision. I’m not going to speak for him. I just know the group here, collectively, is a strong group that can win the Super Bowl.”
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