The future of Mike Tomlin is a hot topic today, but NFL insider Jason La Canfora doesn’t think the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach is going anywhere. On the In The Huddle podcast, La Canfora talked about whether Tomlin will be back with Pittsburgh next season, and while he acknowledged that Tomlin could leave on his own, he thinks that the two sides are going to agree to a long-term extension.
“That would be the stunner of all stunners,” La Canfora said about the prospect of Pittsburgh deciding to move on from Tomlin, adding it would be “five times the shock” as the Seahawks parting ways with Pete Carroll.
He said the Steelers want Tomlin back and that they want to sign him to a long-term extension ahead of the final year of his contract in 2024.
“If he takes a sabbatical or whatever, that would be one thing, but the Steelers want him back and want to do a long-term extension with him. And my suspicion is ultimately they get there,” La Canfora said.
La Canfora continued by saying that Tomlin’s proven he can lead the Steelers to a Super Bowl and always has them competitive, no matter the hand that he’s dealt.
“Don’t undermine what that means,” La Canfora said.
He also said that the Rooney family “thinks as highly of” Tomlin as ever. Obviously, the Rooney family will be the ones deciding whether to move on from Tomlin or give him an extension, and La Canfora’s reporting that they want to sign him to an extension aligns with a report from Mike Florio ahead of Week 16, when the speculation about Tomlin’s future was at a fever pitch.
There’s little doubt that the Steelers want Tomlin back, as that’s been reiterated a number of times over the past few weeks. The bigger question is whether Tomlin would leave on his own accord as NFL insiders like Jay Glazer, who is close to Tomlin, and Adam Schefter have mentioned recently. La Canfora seems to leave that option open, but he does think that Tomlin will find himself back for an 18th season in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers are always in the playoff picture, but too often lately they haven’t been a legitimate contender. Shannon Sharpe wondered on ESPN’s First Take this morning when the lack of winning when it matters will get old within the Steelers organization, but it doesn’t sound as if the team has any plans to make a move. Tomlin could want a new challenge, but if he wants to keep coaching next season, the Steelers and the Rooney family are going to do everything in their power to make sure he’s coaching in Pittsburgh.
While a Tomlin extension likely won’t happen for at least another month or longer (his 2021 extension was signed in April), we’ll likely know within a week or so whether he intends on coaching next season or if he’s going to step away. If he does, the Steelers’ offseason will be thrown into turmoil, but La Canfora believes the two sides will come to an agreement to keep Tomlin in Pittsburgh for years to come. Either way, the next few weeks are going to be interesting to see how the coaching carousel shakes out and whether Tomlin remains the Steelers head coach.
