One of Mike Tomlin’s staunchest defenders in sports media has been Rich Eisen, and Eisen once again came to Tomlin’s defense on his show after the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach signed a three-year contract extension on Monday. During his Overreaction Monday podcast with Chris Brockman, Eisen responded to Brockman’s idea that Tomlin wouldn’t last until 2027, the last season of his extension.
“I think you’re out of your mind,” Eisen said. “This is not a franchise that is prone to making a change, even when the fan base is howling for it.”
Given that the Steelers have only had three head coaches since 1969, it’s not surprising that they’re not and have not been rash in making a change when it comes to Tomlin. Although there’s been a lot of disdain over the years, and Tomlin certainly has some faults, he’s still loved by his players and regarded as one of the better coaches in the NFL.
A good way to quiet those calls and appease the fans would be to start winning in the postseason, something Tomlin and the Steelers haven’t done enough of lately. Some of that isn’t Tomlin’s fault. Kevin Colbert’s final few drafts weren’t anything special and Tomlin hasn’t had the best quarterbacks to work with, but they’ve still fallen short more often than they should. It’s a fair criticism of Tomlin, and with a revamped roster, it’s something that needs to change.
It would be surprising though if Tomlin didn’t last the full three years of his new deal, unless he was the one who wanted to walk away. It would take an absolute disaster for the Steelers to move on from Tomlin, and I’m not sure another Wild Card Round playoff loss qualifies as a disaster in the eyes of the organization. With how loyal the Rooney family is, it would likely take the Steelers becoming one of the worst teams in football for Tomlin to lose his job before his extension is up.
Tomlin will be just 55 at the conclusion of the 2027 season, so if things go well, it might not be his last deal with the Steelers, either. The extension he received this offseason was widely expected and was essentially a formality, even if it did make him one of the highest-paid coaches in NFL history. Now it’s time for him to prove that the Steelers made the right move.
