The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 season has come to an end following a 31-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Wild Card Weekend. The loss marked six straight seasons not making it past the Wild Card Round of the playoffs and seven seasons without a playoff win.
Despite 10 wins and a playoff birth, the loss has left many concerned with the future of head coach Mike Tomlin. However, it’s reported he has told the Steelers about his future already. What is it?
Mike Tomlin’s Future With Pittsburgh
Tomlin has been the head coach of the Steelers since 2007, making him the longest-active tenured head coach in the NFL following Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots parting ways.
Under Tomlin’s leadership, the Steelers have gone 173-100-2 in the regular season and 8-10 in the postseason. Additionally, they’ve made the postseason 11 times, including two Super Bowl appearances. The Steelers won one of those two appearances in 2005 when they defeated the Arizona Cardinals.
According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Tomlin told Steelers players that any speculation of him stepping away is unfounded and that he plans on coaching the team in 2024. Tomlin is entering the final year of his contract, having most recently signed a three-year contract extension in 2021.
Following the Steelers’ loss to Buffalo, Tomlin was asked by the media about his contract looming. However, Tomlin did not respond and immediately left the podium. He is expected to meet with the media again later in the week.
“Mike, you have a year left on your contract…”
Mike Tomlin: 💨 ✌🏽 pic.twitter.com/ouAncRXTzy
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 16, 2024
Since becoming the Steelers’ head coach, Tomlin has set the NFL record for most consecutive non-losing seasons to begin a coaching career with 17. With another non-losing season in 2023, it means he has never had the Steelers below .500 since he took over.
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“If you think you’re gonna find a better coach than Mike Tomlin, good luck,” Michael Lombardi said on the Pat McAfee Show. The Steelers’ most recent playoff win came in 2016 when they defeated the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs en route to a 36-17 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
Only eight NFL franchises have a longer playoff win drought than the Steelers. Each of the teams behind the Steelers has fired multiple coaches since 2017. Those teams include the Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, Washington Commanders, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, and Denver Broncos.
On top of playoff wins and losses, Tomlin has led the Steelers to seven AFC North titles, with their most recent coming in 2020. The Steelers have finished third in the division the last two seasons, missing the playoffs in 2022.
With Tomlin expected to return for the 2024 season, the Steelers can now direct their attention to the offseason. One of the things they will need to focus on is hiring a new offensive coordinator. The team let go of previous offensive coordinator Matt Canada earlier in 2023.
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