Mike Tomlin

Steelers’ Decision To Start Russell Wilson Was Not Unanimous?

October 20th, 2024 at 1:39pm CST by Adam La Rose

Russell Wilson will make his regular season Steelers debut tonight, having fully recovered from his calf injury. The move to place him atop the quarterback depth chart came after Justin Fields helped guide the team to a 4-2 record, and it does not appear to have been the preference of some staff members.

When speaking with Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, head coach Mike Tomlin noted he acted alone in tapping Wilson as Pittsburgh’s starter (video link). QB decisions are, of course, the purview of a head coach but they come amongst consultation with other members of the offensive coaching staff. Tomlin acknowledged he will solely bear the responsibility of the Wilson decision should it not work out, an indication of the support Fields has in the organization.

The former Bears first-rounder received extra first-team reps in training camp once Wilson was injured, and as the only healthy member of the pair in September he did not face competition for the starting gig. Wilson returned to practice recently, and after a full week handling reps with the first-team offense signs pointed to him getting the nod. Attached to a one-year deal, Wilson entered the offseason atop the depth chart but Fields’ performances in camp and the preseason earned him favor amongst Pittsburgh’s decision-makers.

Indeed, a report from earlier this month noted Fields did not appear to be in immediate danger of losing his starting gig. The 25-year-old helped guide Pittsburgh to a strong showing in the running game during his time at the helm, but the team entered Week 7 ranked just 28th in passing production and 20th overall in scoring. Wilson will be tasked with improving on those totals, although the door is open to Fields seeing some playing time in spite of his demotion.

The Steelers will host the Jets to close out Sunday’s action, and one of the team’s key storylines will be Wilson’s play during his first contest since his ill-fated Broncos tenure came to a close. If the former Seahawks Super Bowl winner struggles, calls from inside and outside the building will no doubt grow for Tomlin to reverse his decision.

Mike Tomlin Driving Brandon Aiyuk’s Steelers Interest; Latest On Pittsburgh’s Extension Offer

August 19th, 2024 at 9:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

A Brandon Aiyuk-to-Pittsburgh transaction may still end up happening, but such a move continues to trend in the wrong direction for the Steelers. Multiple factors have contributed to this latest Aiyuk development.

The 49ers are viewed as having a slight edge on the Steelers to roster the fifth-year wide receiver this season. As it turns out, the teams’ extension offers are believed to be relatively similar. While we do not know the details regarding contract structure or guarantees, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes the Steelers offered a deal that featured an AAV south of $28MM.

We heard earlier this month the Steelers had underwhelmed Aiyuk with their extension offer and did not wow the 49ers with their trade proposal. A previous report also indicated this proposal landed in the $28MM-per-year neighborhood, but a deal south of that point would place Aiyuk no higher than seventh among receivers. This AAV would land behind Jaylen Waddle‘s recent Dolphins extension and around where the Bears went for D.J. Moore ($27.5MM per year).

But the 49ers and Steelers are still believed to have agreed on compensation — as a fallback option for the NFC West team, it appears. As of now, a trade seems to be the less likely scenario. The Steelers’ extension offer being “right in the neighborhood” of where the 49ers’ proposal checked in pushed the second-team All-Pro back to the table with his current team, Breer adds.

That has driven some progress between the 49ers and their top outside receiver. Aiyuk met with 49ers brass again recently, has attended position meetings and has watched practices — amid a now-lengthy hold-in — while this matter remains unresolved. But the 49ers are believed to have upped their offer. The sides may also have most of the deal done, with only final-year issues holding up the agreement. It would then seem the parties are close, but this saga has dragged for months and has brought several trade suitors into the mix.

Aiyuk, however, did not want to be dealt to New England or Cleveland. The Patriots offered Aiyuk more on an extension than the Steelers or 49ers have. San Francisco’s summer offer was in the $26-$27MM-per-year ballpark. Why, exactly, would Aiyuk prefer the Steelers to the Browns? Breer adds Mike Tomlin‘s presence served as the drawing card here.

That is certainly a notable nugget, as the Steelers do not have the 49ers outflanked in terms of offensive system or team success in recent years. Tomlin remains one of the game’s most respected figures, having famously never completed a sub-.500 season. Pittsburgh recently gave its 18th-year HC another extension.

The Steelers, of course, have not won a playoff game since 2016 and have struggled to form a consistent offense following Antonio Brown‘s 2019 exit. Pittsburgh has ranked 23rd or lower in total offense in each of the past five seasons, checking in as a top-20 scoring attack just once — Ben Roethlisberger‘s penultimate 2020 campaign — in that span. They are counting on either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields to provide an upgrade on the failed Kenny Pickett investment.

Aiyuk, 26, would obviously help the Steelers in this regard. But the team not including any players in the deal has hurt its chances at obtaining the talented receiver. The 49ers have never exactly wanted to trade Aiyuk, with John Lynch saying for months — most recently last week — the team wants the 2020 first-rounder in the fold long term.

San Francisco attempted to assemble a trade package that would replace Aiyuk immediately, with Cleveland offering Amari Cooper. Aiyuk nixed that deal. Absent the Steelers including George Pickens in a swap, they have no such presence to unload. It would be interesting to learn who the 49ers asked for on the Steelers’ roster outside of the receiver position, but as of now, the AFC North club is not including players in its proposal.

This months-long saga will reach some sort of conclusion before the season. Will Aiyuk be prepared to miss out on $831K game checks? The 49ers can waive his training camp absence fines, however, and the vibes here — and the team doing so for Nick Bosa last year — point to that happening if Aiyuk reports before Week 1. But the sides are still haggling. The wait persists in one of the most frequently updated negotiations in recent memory.

Justin Fields Closing Gap In Steelers’ QB Competition?

August 4th, 2024 at 8:25am CST by Rory Parks

New Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, echoing head coach Mike Tomlin’s comments throughout the offseason, said back in June that free agent signee Russell Wilson was in pole position to open the 2024 campaign as Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback. Trade acquisition Justin Fields, therefore, would begin the final season of his rookie contract as Wilson’s backup.

Of course, a contestant that begins a race in pole position does not necessarily win the race. Wilson suffered a calf injury during the team’s conditioning test, and the Steelers are slow playing his recovery. That has opened the door for Fields to get more first-team reps than initially expected, and he is reportedly making the most of his opportunity.

As ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted during an appearance on NFL Live at the end of July, Fields has “opened some eyes” with his training camp performance and is making the coaching staff realize how dynamic the offense can be with the former Bear under center (video link). Those comments are similar to those made on the first day of training camp by ESPN colleague Dan Graziano, who noted that while Fields certainly has ground to make up to overtake Wilson for the starting job, the Steelers are “open-minded about his ability to do so” (subscription required).

Like Graziano, Schefter believes Wilson is still leading the race, though it is a much closer competition than it once appeared. Because Pittsburgh has no meaningful financial connection to either player – Wilson is getting paid nearly $38MM by the Broncos but receiving just $1.21MM from the Steelers, while Fields is earning $1.62MM – there is no contractual reason for the Steelers to give the edge to one player over the other. In fact, given that Fields is just 25 and could still become the team’s next long-term passer, it would not be surprising if Tomlin – who has been a fan of the Ohio State product for some time – hopes he will unseat the 35-year-old Wilson.

Even if he privately feels that way, Tomlin is (obviously) not acknowledging it publicly. In yesterday’s appearance on the Up & Adams show with Kay Adams, Tomlin made plain that Wilson is still the favorite to open the season as the QB1, and he used his favorite racing metaphor to make that point.

“I think I’ve been pretty consistent in my position there,” Tomlin said. “I’ve characterized it as pole position for Russell. And the reason I have is certainly they are competing, but I don’t overly concern ourselves with being fair. There’s no such thing as 50/50. And so we just pay respect to the totality of his resume and his experience” (video link).

If Fields does ultimately change Tomlin’s mind, Graziano believes that Wilson could ask the Steelers to release or trade him. Wilson’s contract with Pittsburgh does have a no-trade clause that would afford him some control over the process, though in a scenario in which he fails to beat out Fields for the starting gig after opening the offseason with such a clear head start, he may not have much trade value anyway.

Steelers Extend HC Mike Tomlin

June 10th, 2024 at 10:13pm CST by Adam La Rose

Mike Tomlin‘s Steelers tenure will continue for the foreseeable future. The team announced on Monday that their Super Bowl-winning head coach has signed a three-year extension.

As a result of this move, the 52-year-old is under contract through the 2027 campaign. He enters the coming season as the league’s longest-tenured head coach, having been at the helm of the Steelers for the past 17 years. That stretch has yet to feature a losing season, although it also encompasses a notable drought for postseason success. Considering owner Art Rooney II‘s comments in January, however, this move comes as no surprise.

Tomlin’s future has faced questions recently, with speculation swirling in the winter about the possibility of taking a year off from coaching before returning to an NFL sideline. Not long after Pittsburgh’s wild-card elimination, though, Tomlin confirmed he would remain in place for 2024. Per tradition in his case, he will not enter a lame duck situation, instead moving forward with considerable term on his deal once again.

“Mike Tomlin’s leadership and commitment to the Steelers have been pivotal to our success during his first 17 years as head coach,” a statement from Rooney reads. “Extending his contract for three more years reflects our confidence in his ability to guide the team back to winning playoff games and championships, while continuing our tradition of success.”

The Steelers won the Super Bowl during Tomlin’s second year at the helm, returning to the title game two years later. The team has posted double-digit wins during the regular season seven times since then, but translating that into a deep playoff run has proven to be challenging. Pittsburgh last won a postseason contest in 2016, enduring a five-game losing streak which includes this year’s loss to the Bills.

The 2024 offseason has seen plenty of changes for the Steelers, including the arrival of a new offensive coordinator (Arthur Smith). Tomlin drew criticism for the length of Matt Canada’s tenure in that role, but Smith’s arrival is expected to produce an upgrade in rushing success. Pittsburgh’s offense will also feature new faces along the O-line and, of course, a much different looking quarterbacks room than 2023. How Tomin handles the playing time of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields will be a key 2024 storyline for the team.

Tomlin sits in a tie for 12th on the NFL’s all-time wins list with 173. If he remains in place through the length of this new pact, he will continue to climb the ranks in that regard while also remaining in Pittsburgh for 21 seasons. That would place him two years shy of Chuck Noll‘s all-time franchise record.

“I am appreciative for this contract extension and thankful for Art Rooney II for his support during my first 17 years in Pittsburgh,” Tomlin said in a statement. “We are continuing to work diligently to get back to where we belong – sustained playoff success with the ultimate goal of winning the franchise’s seventh Lombardi Trophy. I am very excited to get the 2024 season underway and provide our fans with a memorable year.”

Steelers Rumors: Patterson, Heyward, Wilson, Peterson

April 7th, 2024 at 11:54am CST by Rory Parks

Cordarrelle Patterson became one of the best return men in NFL history despite playing during an era when rule changes limited the number of kickoffs that were actually returned. Patterson, 33, recently signed a two-year contract with the Steelers, and as Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes, the club initiated a dialogue with Patterson when talks to modify the kickoff rules were gaining steam among league owners. Once those modifications — which are designed to encourage more kick returns — were formally approved, Pittsburgh acted quickly to bring Patterson aboard.

Per Dulac, Patterson’s two-year deal is worth $6MM. While the versatile four-time First-Team All-Pro may see some action in the passing game and ground game, it is clear the Steelers are primarily counting on him to reprise his role as a dominant return specialist.

Now for more news and notes out of Pittsburgh:

Franchise icon Cameron Heyward seemed to be contemplating retirement following a 2023 season marred by a serious groin injury, and there was even a possibility that the Steelers could seek to release him given how much cap room the club could save by doing so. As Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk relayed back in February, Heyward underwent an unspecified surgery, and the player himself wrote on X that he is “done doing stuff on [one] leg that guys were doing on [two] legs.” Heyward added that he “can’t wait to get back to myself,” and Dale Lolley of the team’s official website wrote several weeks ago that HC Mike Tomlin believes the soon-to-be 35-year-old will be fully cleared by training camp. In sum, it appears that Heyward will be back for a 14th season, $22.41MM cap charge and all.
Another indication that Heyward would return to the Steelers for the 2024 campaign is the fact that he was one of the strongest advocates for the team’s Russell Wilson acquisition, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (video link). Both players have Walter Payton Man of the Year Award honors to their name, and Tomlin also pushed for a Wilson signing after meeting with the veteran passer. According to Pelissero, Wilson’s agent made calls around the league to see if any team — like the Steelers — that might be interested in signing his client to a one-year contract would also be willing to tack on an “unprecedented, massive player option for 2025.” Unsurprisingly, there were no takers, so after another lengthy conversation with Tomlin, Wilson signed his contract with Pittsburgh.
Defensive back Patrick Peterson, whom the Steelers released last month, recently said that he has had preliminary talks with a handful of teams since his release, though he does not anticipate signing a new deal before the upcoming draft. The future Hall of Fame corner struggled during his one season in Pittsburgh, and the team gave him an extended look at safety as a result. Once clubs have a better idea of their roster weaknesses post-draft, interest in Peterson could pick up, and as Lolley writes, Tomlin is open to a Steelers-Peterson reunion (though a new contract will certainly be less valuable than the two-year, $14MM accord Peterson signed with the club in 2023).
Before signing Wilson and trading for Justin Fields, the Steelers considered, at least to some degree, Kirk Cousins, Ryan Tannehill, and Tyler Huntley.

Steelers, Russell Wilson Plan To Discuss New Contract After 2024 Season; More On Justin Fields Trade

March 17th, 2024 at 11:18pm CST by Rory Parks

Despite yesterday’s stunning trade that sent Justin Fields from the Bears to the Steelers, the recently-signed Russell Wilson will remain in place as Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, head coach Mike Tomlin reached out to Wilson before the trade was finalized to let the nine-time Pro Bowler know that his job is safe.

And, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Wilson and the Steelers are interested in a multiyear arrangement. While Pittsburgh is paying Wilson the veteran minimum on his one-year deal for 2024 — the Broncos are picking up the rest of Wilson’s $39MM tab — player and team are already planning to explore a “longer deal” at the the end of the season.

It would seem a bit premature to make those types of plans. After all, while Wilson’s second year in Denver was much better than his first, his brief stint with the Broncos was generally a disappointing one. And even if the Steelers do not exercise Fields’ fifth-year option for 2025, it is certainly possible that he impresses enough over the course of the upcoming year to convince Tomlin — long rumored to be a Fields fan — that his newest acquisition is worthy of a new contract and a starting role. Plus, Wilson will be 36 by the end of the 2024 campaign, while Fields just turned 25.

Nonetheless, the fact that these reports are even circulating is evidence of the Steelers’ faith in Wilson. And considering that the club is committing so little salary to him and was able to acquire Fields for a sixth-round draft choice — which will only become a fourth-rounder if Fields plays 51% of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps in 2024 — the Fields trade will have been worth it even if he simply plays out the season as a high-end insurance policy for Wilson and heads elsewhere next year.

It was not too long ago that Dulac and other Steelers beats unequivocally wrote that the team would not pursue an external addition (like Wilson and Fields) who was eyeing a QB1 role. Per Pro Football Talk, those reports were correct when they were published, but the club has dramatically changed how its views the quarterback position over the past month. During that time, Pittsburgh saw Mason Rudolph sign with the Titans in free agency and subsequently traded Kenny Pickett to the Eagles. Whether Rudolph’s departure is what triggered the shift in organizational philosophy — Dulac et al. had suggested that Rudolph and Pickett could compete for the starting quarterback job in 2024 — is unclear, but one way or another, the Steelers have overhauled their QB room in a short amount of time, and for minimal cost.

Meanwhile, Chicago fans have Caleb Williams to look forward to in the near future, but the club is doubtlessly disappointed that it was unable to fetch a larger return for Fields, the No. 11 overall pick of the 2021 draft. We heard just last week that the Bears were not panicking even when the market for Fields did not develop as hoped, and as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk opines, the club should have continued exercising patience. If GM Ryan Poles was willing to accept a 2025 draft choice in exchange for Fields, he might have waited until the 2024 draft was over to see which teams were left without a passer. He might even have kept Fields on the roster, at least as a backup, and waited to collect a compensatory draft pick if and when Fields signed with a different club as a free agent next March.

Perhaps, as Florio suggests, Poles felt that he was doing the right thing for Fields by trading him sooner rather than later. Regardless of his rationale, Poles did confirm in a statement after the trade was announced that he had been exploring a deal for weeks.

The statement, issued by the club’s official X feed, reads, “We have engaged in multiple trade conversations in recent weeks and believe trading Justin at this time to Pittsburgh is what is best for both Justin and the Bears. Today we spoke to Justin to inform him of the trade and the rationale behind it for us as a Club. We want to thank him for his tireless dedication, leadership and all he poured into our franchise and community the last three years and wish him the best towards a long and successful NFL career.”

Per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, five teams contacted the Bears to dicuss a Fields trade, though all of those clubs viewed Fields as a backup. Poles had hoped that the 2021 trade that sent Sam Darnold from the Jets to the Panthers in exchange for a 2021 sixth-rounder, a 2022 second-rounder, and a 2022 fourth-rounder would provide a framework for a Fields deal, but at the time, Carolina clearly viewed Darnold as a starter. Since rival teams did not feel the same way about Fields, Poles elected to resolve the matter quickly and to start the Williams era with a clean slate.

Steelers Planning Mike Tomlin Extension; Team To Hold QB Competition

January 18th, 2024 at 9:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mike Tomlin‘s status with the 2024 Steelers appeared in doubt as this season wound down, but the longtime Pittsburgh leader is not going anywhere. And Tomlin, as should be expected, will not enter the ’24 slate as a lame duck.

The Steelers are planning to give their veteran head coach another extension, Art Rooney II said Thursday (via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac). Tomlin’s current deal runs through the 2024 season. This stands to be Tomlin’s eighth Steelers contract.

Succeeding Bill Cowher back in 2007, Tomlin is now the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach. He guided the Steelers to the playoffs for an 11th time, dropping a wild-card game to the Bills. Evasive about his contract status after that game, Tomlin is indeed coming back. Tomlin, 51, has won a Super Bowl and led Pittsburgh to Super Bowl XLV, a loss to the Packers, two years later. But he is on a cold streak in the postseason. The Steelers have not won a playoff game since beating the Alex Smith-led Chiefs in the 2016 divisional round, losing their past five postseason matchups.

Tomlin’s 17-year streak without a losing season has become a somewhat divisive issue, seeing as this playoff-win drought has transpired during the streak’s second half. Thirteen seasons have also now passed since that yellow pants Super Bowl, a 31-25 Green Bay win, transpired. But Tomlin remains one of the NFL’s most respected figures. Steelers plans for this extension emerged in December, with neither the notion of him taking the 2024 season off nor the prospect of the Steelers trading his rights elsewhere gaining much traction.

As we heard in November, Tomlin will look at outside candidates for the Steelers’ offensive coordinator post (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor). The team used Eddie Faulkner as its nominal OC but had QBs coach Mike Sullivan calling plays. Steelers ownership’s confidence in Tomlin’s coordinator picks has wavered, to a degree, making this upcoming hire crucial. The Steelers made some progress since firing Matt Canada — the franchise’s first in-season firing in decades — but they have not been confused with a potent offense in years. Kenny Pickett‘s status adds to the importance of Pittsburgh’s play-caller move.

Tomlin confirmed Thursday (via The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly) that Pickett will enter another offseason as the team’s starting quarterback, but the team is planning to hold a competition for the job. Mason Rudolph may be positioned to provide that, but Tomlin reminded the end-of-season starter played on an expiring contract this season.

A Pickett-Rudolph competition, as it stands now, probably would not excite a sizable sect of Steelers fans. The 2022 first-round pick has underwhelmed during his run as a starter, being stuck on 13 touchdown passes despite making 24 starts. Rudolph provided a spark when replacing Mitch Trubisky late this season, guiding the Steelers to three straight wins to give Tomlin his 10th 10-win season as a head coach. But the high-floor routine that has become the team’s Tomlin-era M.O. has not produced much of consequence, outside of perhaps the team’s hot start in 2020, since the Killer B’s 2017 finale.

Non-Rudolph free agent options that could push Pickett will be available. While Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield may not be viable candidates here, as both will be starter candidates to stay with their current clubs, a number of bridge or high-end backup arms will be available. This includes Ryan Tannehill, Gardner Minshew, Sam Darnold, Jacoby Brissett, Jameis Winston and others. Both Russell Wilson and Jimmy Garoppolo loom as cut candidates, with the former a near-certainty to be released.

It will be interesting to see if the Steelers would consider adding one of these options and Rudolph, who played out a veteran-minimum deal in 2023. The Steelers are expected to cut Trubisky, which will create nearly $3MM in cap space, but Rudolph also may want to explore a QB2 opportunity elsewhere. If nothing else, the former third-round pick played well enough he probably will not need to settle for vet-minimum money in 2024.

The QB and OC pieces in Tomlin’s 2024 puzzle may go a long way toward determining how much longer the Steelers will want to stick with the status quo. That said, the upcoming extension will keep Tomlin’s seat fairly cool. But the Steelers’ viability next season will undoubtedly come down to how Tomlin and GM Omar Khan handle the big-picture questions on offense.

Mike Tomlin To Remain With Steelers In 2024

January 16th, 2024 at 10:51pm CST by Adam La Rose

Speculation about Mike Tomlin‘s plans for at least the immediate future can be put to rest. The NFL’s longest-tenured coach informed the Steelers he will remain in place for the 2024 campaign, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports.

Only one year remains on Tomlin’s current contract. Given the general pattern of working out extensions with two years left on his pact followed by the Steelers, questions have been raised about a potential lame-duck season. Recent reports have pointed to Tomlin stepping back and evaluating his situation in the offseason, but he has very quickly arrived at a decision. Garafolo adds he is expected to speak to the media on the subject later this week.

Pittsburgh’s season – which, as has become commonplace in recent years, included doubts about Tomlin’s streak of never having a losing season – resulted in a 10-7 record and a playoff appearance. However, the Steelers’ wild-card loss to the Bills on Monday leaves the team without a postseason win since 2016. Criticism of Tomlin in that regard has intensified, but he received significant public shows of support from his players in the aftermath of the loss. Now, any potential Pittsburgh coaching search will be delayed by at least one year.

The 2023 campaign was defined in large part by Pittsburgh’s nearly unprecedented decision to make an in-season coordinator change. Replacing Matt Canada was a move many had called for leading up to his dismissal, but it did not yield the desired results on a consistent basis. The more significant alteration to the team’s success on offense came when Mason Rudolph took over at quarterback late in the year. Even after Kenny Pickett returned to full health from ankle surgery, Tomlin elected to stick with Rudolph as the the team found success in the ground game.

Tomlin would have been able to command a hefty trade market had he elected to depart Pittsburgh, and a report from Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer indicated teams around the league were inquiring about such a move. Given the length of his tenure, it would also have come as little surprise if the 51-year-old had elected to take a year off from coaching before returning in 2025. Still, today’s news marks the expected outcome given the mutual sense between Tomlin and the Steelers that their relationship would continue which emerged during the season.

Pittsburgh enters the 2024 offseason with a number of key questions to answer, including at the quarterback position. Rudolph is a pending free agent while Pickett’s chances of retaining the starter’s role heading into next season have obviously taken a hit. Veteran Mitch Trubisky is on the books for two more years, but his time with the Steelers is thought to be over. The team must also search for a permanent solution with respect to an offensive coordinator.

Tomlin will no doubt have a major say in both of those decisions as he prepares for an 18th campaign in charge of the Steelers. His contract status will remain a key talking point (especially if no extension is worked out in the offseason), but for the time being his future is no longer in doubt.

Mike Tomlin Undecided On Steelers Future?

January 16th, 2024 at 10:50am CST by Rory Parks

JANUARY 16: Tomlin’s Steelers fell to the Bills on Monday as many expected, bringing the team’s season to an end. To no surprise, Tomlin faced a question about his future, but he declined to address the topic. He instead elected to depart his press conference when his contract was mentioned (video link via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport). Until further clarity emerges as it pertains to the NFL’s longest-tenured coach, Tomlin’s status will be worth monitoring.

JANUARY 14: The Steelers will take on the Bills in a wild-card matchup tomorrow, a game that was pushed back a day due to heavy snow in Buffalo. Pittsburgh is a heavy underdog in that contest, and according to a number of high-profile NFL pundits, it is fair to wonder whether it will be head coach Mike Tomlin‘s last game on the Steelers’ sidelines.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk says that whenever Pittsburgh’s season comes to an end, Tomlin will discuss his future with his family and “reassess his situation.” While such a reassessment takes place at the end of every season, Florio suggests the situation is different this time around because Tomlin is only signed through 2024 and has never inked an extension with just one year left on his contract. In Florio’s estimation, Tomlin could certainly re-up with the Steelers, but he could also forego a new contract, finish out his current deal in 2024, and become a free agent in 2025. Alternatively, like current Broncos head coach Sean Payton did when he was under contract with the Saints, Tomlin could choose to sit out a year and see if another club pursues a trade for his rights (of course, regardless of whether Tomlin re-signs or chooses to enter 2024 as a lame duck, that may not prevent another team from trying to acquire via him via trade).

To be clear, the factual underpinning of Florio’s report is flawed. When Tomlin signed a three-year extension in April 2021, his existing contract at the time only kept him under club control through the end of the 2021 season; in other words, he has indeed gone into an offseason with just one year left on a contract. However, Florio is not the only one who believes Tomlin’s Pittsburgh future is uncertain.

On January 7, Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (video link) reported that the Steelers would not fire Tomlin, which jibes with Florio’s own report from last month, when he wrote that Pittsburgh had no desire to move on from its head coach and had no reason to believe that Tomlin did not want to continue his tenure with the club. Glazer did add, however, that “it’ll be [Tomlin’s] choice if he goes back to the Steelers or not, but it will be his choice.”

Just one day later, ESPN’s Adam Schefter (video link via Awful Announcing) said that some league sources believe Tomlin could decide to take a year off, a la Payton. While Schefter did confirm that the Steelers have no intention of parting ways with Tomlin if the Super Bowl-winning head coach wants to return, he noted that Tomlin is a Washington, D.C. native and that his wife loves Los Angeles, thereby implying that the Commanders’ and Chargers’ HC vacancies may be appealing to him.

Although the 2023 campaign looked to be heading nowhere after three straight losses from Weeks 13-15 — including defeats at the hands of the woeful Cardinals and Patriots — Tomlin’s decision to insert quarterback Mason Rudolph into the starting lineup in Week 16 paid immediate dividends, as the Steelers rattled off three consecutive victories at the end of the season to sneak into the seventh and final spot in the AFC playoff field. That said, no matter what happens in the playoffs, Pittsburgh’s long-term QB situation is decidedly unsettled, and between the in-season firing of OC Matt Canada and some locker room tension, 2023 has doubtlessly been a trying one for Tomlin.

As such, it would not be as surprising as it might have been in past years to see Tomlin step away for a time or move on to a different team. If he opts for the latter course, there will be no shortage of interest in his services. Now that Bill Belichick and the Patriots have parted ways, Tomlin is the longest-tenured head coach in the league, but he is still just 51 (he will turn 52 in March). While the contingent of Pittsburgh fans that believe Tomlin should be fired are surely tired of hearing about it, Tomlin has famously never had a sub-.500 season, and he boasts a 173-100-2 regular season record.

Detractors will point out that Tomlin is 8-9 in the postseason and has not won a playoff game since 2016, both of which are fair criticisms. Nonetheless, his overall body of work has kept him in good stead in the Steelers’ front office and will make him a hot commodity elsewhere if he seeks a change of scenery.

Teams Considering Trading For Steelers HC Mike Tomlin

December 25th, 2023 at 10:14am CST by Ely Allen

Blood has already been drawn in the realm of NFL head coaches. So far, three vacancies have been created with the head coach firings in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Carolina, and two of those teams also fired their general managers. According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, there’s an expectation that four or more jobs could be open by the start of the playoffs.

The Raiders have parted ways with Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler, while Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco were let go by the Chargers. These moves sandwiched the Panthers firing Frank Reich. There is growing unease in Chicago, where Bears head coach Matt Eberflus has amassed a 9-23 record over his first two years with the team. Dennis Allen has also failed to reach a winning record after nearly two seasons with the Saints. Nobody’s seat is as hot as Falcons head coach Arthur Smith. Even a head coaching legend like Bill Belichick may be parting ways with the Patriots this offseason.

Yet, in all this mess, one head coach who may be redeeming his reputation is Mike Tomlin. After losing four of five games before this weekend, Pittsburgh was finally able deliver a convincing win, its first of the year by more than a single possession. When Tomlin was headed toward his first season as a head coach with a losing record, there were many who thought he may be out of a job in Pittsburgh. Instead, his ability to take some of his worst rosters and still deliver more wins than losses has the Steelers considering yet another contract extension.

According to Glazer, though, Pittsburgh isn’t the only team thinking about him as a potential head coach of the future. While many teams seem to have been hoping for a stumble down the stretch that would make Tomlin available after the 2023 season, with a contract extension on the horizon in Pittsburgh, some teams have yet to give up hope of acquiring the tenured head coach. Glazer drops that a number of teams have considered trading for Tomlin.

It hasn’t been long since we last saw a franchise acquire a head coach through trade. Eleven months ago, we saw the Broncos and Saints exchange a few picks with the end result sending the rights to Sean Payton‘s contract to Denver. Bruce Arians required a small trade package from the Buccaneers in 2019. Before that, we have to go back to the 2000s and before, when names like Jon Gruden, Herm Edwards, Bill Parcells, Mike Holmgren, and Belichick were all getting dealt for draft picks. If a team was hoping to lure Pittsburgh into a trade that would relinquish Tomlin, they’re likely going to have to build quite the haul, especially now that he is a win away from extending his streak of never having had a losing season to 17 years.

If a team is going to attempt to trade for Tomlin, it’s likely going to be a team that already has a lot of strong pieces. For instance, the Chargers have a lot of working pieces but have struggled to find success. They’ve recently invested in a franchise quarterback, they have a duo of strong, veteran receivers, and a versatile running back on offense. The defense, despite laying claims to stars like Derwin James and Khalil Mack and strong contributors in Asante Samuel Jr., Eric Kendricks, and Kenneth Murray, has been one of the league’s worst units in 2023. Trading for a coach like Tomlin, who has a strong history of building defensive legends in Pittsburgh, could be the move that gets Los Angeles over a recent losing hump.

There’s even been slight chatter about the Bills organization having a bad taste in their mouths from a lack of playoff success. It seems like a long shot, especially after the Bills improved their playoff odds this weekend with their third straight win, but if Buffalo executives feel that it’s coaching that is holding the team back from a Super Bowl appearance, a trade for Tomlin may be in play.

Regardless, this post simply cracks open the seal for what is sure to be an active offseason. A potential of seven or eight job openings leaves plenty of room for such speculation. A number of impressive coordinators are sure to stake their claims on new jobs, but don’t be too surprised if the NFL’s two longest-tenured head coaches find their way to new franchises in the offseason.

Load More Posts