With the Pittsburgh Steelers at 10-7 and the No. 7 seed in the AFC playoffs, the calls for Mike Tomlin’s job have gotten quieter and quieter over the last few weeks. Tomlin, who has one year left on his contract after this season, is likely going to get an extension from Pittsburgh this offseason. But that’s if he wants it. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Sunday NFL Countdown that Tomlin’s future with the Steelers is up to him, and there’s a chance he could decide to take some time off or take on a new challenge, potentially with the Washington Commanders or Los Angeles Chargers. Awful Announcing posted the segment on Twitter.
“They’re not firing Mike Tomlin. But here’s the thing that’s interesting. He’s got a year left on his contract. And there are some people around the league who believe Mike Tomlin could decide to take some time off, like Sean Payton did,” Schefter said. “Mike Tomlin gets to dictate what happens here, not the Pittsburgh Steelers. They’re not firing him, he’s staying on, but he’s staying on if he wants to. If he decides that he’d like to walk, well that’s a different subject. And maybe there’s a team out there, he’s from Washington, his wife loves Los Angeles, maybe one of them wants to lob a call into the Steelers to see if they could wind up doing something with him.”
The news that Tomlin is safe isn’t anything new. It’s been assumed for weeks, even when the Steelers were in the midst of their three-game losing streak, that they wouldn’t move on from Tomlin. It’s also not entirely new information that he could consider taking time off. For years, he’s been someone who’s been talked about potentially retiring and sliding into a TV job. But for the most part, it’s just been speculation, and this report from Schefter feels like it’s a little beyond just throwing something at the wall as a possibility.
Tomlin’s been in Pittsburgh a long time, and this season has been among his most challenging yet. From firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada to substandard quarterback play essentially until Mason Rudolph took over in Week 16 to issues in the locker room, it’s been quite the year for Tomlin and the Steelers. For someone who’s kind of seen it all and reached the highest of highs by winning a Super Bowl, Tomlin might want to take on a new challenge, potentially closer to his hometown in Washington or in the bright lights of LA, the two places Schefter suggested.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens, and we’ll likely find out Tomlin’s future not all that long after Pittsburgh’s season ends as other teams will look to fill their vacancies as quickly as possible. The Steelers will also look to give Tomlin an extension if he wants to stay as he won’t enter the 2024 season as a lame-duck head coach, especially after leading Pittsburgh to the playoffs this year.
If Tomlin chooses to take a different path away from the Steelers, this could shape up as one of the more frenetic offseasons in team history, with an unsettled head coach situation and a question mark at quarterback. Enjoy the playoffs because it could be a wild ride in the coming weeks and months in Pittsburgh.
