Rumored to be on the Steelers’ extension radar this year , Mike Tomlin looks like he will remain tied to his current deal through 2024. Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that the Steelers are not planning to extend their coach this year.
This will not turn Tomlin into a lame duck, however, as his deal runs through the 2024 season. The Steelers should be expected to extend their longtime head coach at that point, with Dulac adding the team fully expects to have Tomlin in place as HC beyond his current contract. Tomlin, 51, is going into his 17th season as the team’s head coach.
Now the second-longest-tenured HC in Steelers history (having passed Bill Cowher last season), Tomlin is not believed to have generated dissatisfaction among Steelers brass, Dulac adds. GM Omar Khan, noting an extension is not his call, said (via ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor) he expects to be aligned with the veteran coach “for a long time.”
“I’m at the stage of my career where I don’t care about contracts,” Tomlin said. “I acknowledge I’ve seen more days than I’m going to see. That’s just the nature of this thing. I’m appreciative of the opportunity. I’m singularly focused. I’m thankful I’m at the stage of my life and my career that it’s a non-issue for me.”
Tomlin’s current deal pays him around $10M per year, according to Dulac. He has signed six Steelers extensions since 2010. Not all have been for the same duration, with two-year re-ups transpiring in 2015 and 2017 and a one-year bump coming in 2019. In April 2021, Tomlin signed a three-year deal. That contract agreement came when two years remained on Tomlin’s previous deal, so it is somewhat interesting the team is not following suit this time around. Only Bill Belichick has been in place in his current HC post longer than the Steelers leader.
Having guided the Steelers to a Super Bowl title and another Super Bowl berth two years later, Tomlin has matched Cowher’s output in that department. Tomlin, however, has not led the Steelers to a playoff win since 2016. This stretch included home losses to the Jaguars (2017) and Browns (2020). The defensive-minded HC’s streak of zero sub-.500 seasons remains intact after the team rallied from a 2-6 mark to finish 9-8. Over his career, Tomlin has a 163-93-2 record. That win total sits 16th in NFL history. Another contract will put Tomlin in a position to climb into the top 10. Dan Reeves currently sits 10th with 190 victories.
The Steelers famously have shown commitment to their head coaches, having employed just three since the 1969 season. Four-time Super Bowl winner Chuck Noll occupied the biggest time chunk here, serving in the top Pittsburgh coaching job for 23 years.
