A contract extension for Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was a formality this offseason. It was entirely expected, so news of an extension Monday wasn’t a surprise at all.
What was surprising was the length, as Tomlin signed another three-year extension with the Steelers, keeping him in Pittsburgh through the 2027 season.
That has led to plenty of debate and discussion regarding the merit for Tomlin’s extension, and more. Former NFL GM and longtime front office executive Michael Lombardi appeared on “The Lombardi Line” on ViSN Monday and said he would have handed out a 30-year contract to Tomlin if he wanted it.
“When you have a good coach, you better keep that coach. Why would you get rid of him? Like, the question is, who’s better than Tomlin out there? That’s what I said about [Bill] Belichick,” Lombardi said, according to video via ViSN on YouTube. “Who’s better than Belichick? ‘Well, he can’t win without [Tom] Brady.’ Okay. Can Tomlin win without Big Ben [Roethlisberger]? Yeah, he can. They can all win if you get the right team. They’re good coaches. They’re hard to find. And so, when you get a good one, why would you want to go through it? If [Tomlin] would sign for 30 years, I’d sign him for 30. He’s too good of a coach.
“I know some of the people in the analytical community don’t like his game management, but I know contrary to popular opinion other than themselves, there’s no perfect coach out there. And I think he’s really good. And the fact he can win games and his team, it, his team takes on his personality, which is what you want, right? You want your team to be tough, to be physical and to be willing to play in close games into the fourth quarter.”
Make no mistake about it: Tomlin is a good coach, borderline great.
There is no denying that he hasn’t had the playoff success since 2016 that fits that type of reputation. It is entirely fair to criticize him for, but it is very hard to win in the NFL, especially without an elite quarterback. It feels quite fair to say that the Steelers haven’t had a truly elite quarterback since 2018 or so.
That’s not a knock on late-career Ben Roethlisberger, either. He was serviceable and won games, but he wasn’t elevating the Steelers late in his career and wasn’t elite then. Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky speak for themselves, as done Mason Rudolph despite the great run he had late in 2023 for the Steelers.
Without elite QB play, Tomlin has had to lean on his defense in an offense-driven league. He’s consistently won games in that span, kept the Steelers competitive and reached the playoffs in two of the last three seasons. That matters.
Handing out a 30-year contract is absurd, and Lombardi doesn’t even mean that. His point is keeping a good coach for as long as you can, and that’s exactly what the Steelers are doing with Tomlin. You can’t praise the stability and the history of three coaches in 55 years with Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher, but then lament that Tomlin is still around — and thriving.
