The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wildcard Round, they have another long offseason to look forward to.
The biggest question hanging over the team as we speak is the future of head coach Mike Tomlin. While a firing seems unlikely, speculation has been rampant about his continuing. When asked about his contract status after the loss to the Bills, he walked away mid-question.
Beyond that, there is…the quarterback question. Is Kenny Pickett the guy? Will he get another season’s reprieve without a challenge? How will the team address the depth chart? Do they re-sign Mason Rudolph, one of few significant unrestricted free agents?
The Steelers are swirling with more questions this offseason than usual, frankly, though the major free agent list is less substantial than usual. It’s just a matter of…what happens next? Where do they go from here? How do they find the way forward?
Question: Mike Tomlin reportedly will be back in 2024, but for how much longer?
I don’t think anybody should be surprised about the report that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin informed his players yesterday of his intention of returning for the 2024 season. It’s never been the football part of his job that wears him down. It’s dealing with all the outside nonsense, perhaps including us, and the hither-and-thither speculation that would get to anybody.
Still, the question remains, how much longer will Tomlin be here? the days of George Halas and Curly Lambeau are likely over. Granted, Bill Belichick is heading into his 30th season in 2024 and Andy Reid is at 25 now.
They’re both also considerably older than Tomlin. On the most basic level, there’s no reason to assume he would give up this job in the next, say, dozen years. As long as he continues to perform reasonably well and the owners continue to be reasonably pleased with the job he does, that’s all that matters.
Heading into the final year of his current contract, all the local beat writers seem convinced it’s only a matter of time before he is given an extension. There have been reports that an extension is in the offing already, in fact.
But contracts in terms of employment aren’t guaranteed either way. A coach could retire whenever he wants. An owner can fire a coach whenever he wants. An extension doesn’t automatically mean Tomlin will still be in Pittsburgh for however many more years are added to his contract.
It’s now been seven years since the Steelers last won a playoff game. That’s already the longest stretch in the Super Bowl era without winning one in franchise history. This is an unprecedented new low. It goes without saying that nobody is pleased about it, least of all Tomlin. The question becomes whether Tomlin is the man to fix it.
