Few expected the Pittsburgh Steelers to be a bad team in 2024. That said, it feels like they’re outperforming expectations. Behind Justin Fields for the first six games, and now Russell Wilson, who seems to have revived his career, the Steelers have done well for themselves so far. Pittsburgh is 7-2, slightly ahead of the 7-3 Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North.
With the Steelers being one of the top teams in the entire league at this point, as well as the fact that they’ve got the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL, it’s no surprise that Mike Tomlin has a solid chance at winning the Coach of the Year award.
On Wednesday, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio joined 93.7 The Fan and was asked about Tomlin’s chances for the award.
“I think he needs to win the division to be in the running for it,” Florio said. “And he’s also going to have to overcome Dan Quinn if the Commanders win the NFC East.”
Quinn is certainly a top contender for the award. Washington has been arguably the most surprising team of the year. The Commanders are 7-3, just behind the Philadelphia Eagles in the race to win that division. However Tomlin did just beat Quinn and the Commanders last week, so he could have a leg up there.
“I don’t like Coach of the Year, and I say that even though I hold one of the votes,” Florio said. “If Tomlin would take the Steelers to the one seed, I’d have to seriously think about it. We get to put three on the list, and Dan Campbell, Mike Tomlin and somebody else would be on my list right now.”
Florio didn’t specify who that “somebody else” is. It’s fair to assume it’s Quinn, as Florio praised him in the interview as well. Either way, Tomlin does seem to have a great chance to win the award this year. As Florio alludes to, the more Pittsburgh wins, the better his chances get.
