There was speculation across the NFL realm that the Pittsburgh Steelers would have a head coaching opening following the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
Seven positions opened. None in the Steel City, though. And on Monday, Steelers owner Art Rooney II sounded convinced Tomlin is the guy moving forward, which included addressing his ongoing contract situation.
Art Rooney: Steelers Believe in Mike Tomlin
Speaking to Steelers ESPN insider Brooke Pryor, the owner and team president believes the Steeler players remain invested in Tomlin.
“The players still respond to Mike, and that’s No. 1,” Rooney said. “He still has the key characteristics that we saw when we hired him. He can keep the attention of a group of 20-year-olds for a whole season and keep them in the fight for the whole way. So, still feel good about Mike.”
Rooney illustrated the picture that Tomlin remains a player’s coach. Plus, he is still capable of leading the Steelers to a seventh Super Bowl championship in franchise history.
But now comes this: If Rooney is a believer in Tomlin, does this mean there’ll be movement on his pending contract?
Rooney Addresses Contract Situation
Tomlin’s deal runs through 2024.
Following the Steelers’ first-round loss to the Buffalo Bills, many wondered if that signaled the end of the Tomlin era. Tomlin himself even walked off the podium when a reporter asked about his future with the Steelers and if a deal could get done.
Now, Rooney was given the hot seat question on if there’s any kind of movement to Tomlin’s next deal.
“It’ll be done when it gets done,” Rooney said.
He later explained how agreeing to a new deal is harder than people make it sound like. However, he did briefly paint of picture of when he’s hoping a deal can be finalized.
“Those things are hard to speculate how long it’ll take. At this point, I don’t see it getting done before the [offensive] coordinator’s hired,” Rooney said. “I think that’s going to happen sooner rather than later.”
Tomlin has produced a consistent winner in the Steel City. He’s never finished with a nine-loss regular season since his arrival as head coach 17 seasons ago. He’s appeared in two Super Bowls, winning the 2008 season big game over the Arizona Cardinals.
But, Tomlin’s Steeler teams have endured some early exits. His last playoff win came on Jan. 15, 2017 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Pittsburgh has lost its last five postseason games.
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“Certainly, there’s a resolve there and a determination there,” Rooney said of Tomlin. “And I think I said before, I think all of us that have been around for a little while are anxious to take this next step — and getting a little impatient — and we need to see the kind of improvement we all want to see.”
But still, per Rooney: “Mike believes that as firmly as anybody else in the building.”
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