The long-time head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers won’t be leaving anytime soon.
Mike Tomlin has signed a contract extension with the Steelers through the 2024 NFL season. Tomlin first took the head coaching job in Pittsburgh in 2007, and has been extremely successful thus far, with two Super Bowl appearances and one Lombardi trophy. In his 14 years with the team, Tomlin has a career record of 145-78-1, with nine playoff appearances and seven AFC North division championships. Tomlin is also one of only two coaches in NFL history to start his coaching career with 14 consecutive non-losing seasons.
Tomlin had one of his best coaching seasons in 2019, when he led the Steelers to an 8-8 record despite the absence of star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who suffered a season ending injury in week 2. After a fast start to the 2020 season, in which the Steelers at one point led the NFL with an 11-0 record, they faltered towards the end of the year, finishing the regular season with a 12-4 record, before losing at home on Wild Card Weekend to the Cleveland Browns.
The Steelers also have roster issues that they will have to address through free agency and the upcoming draft, particularly on the offensive line and at running back. In addition, they will need to figure out who the eventual successor to Roethlisberger will be, as he most likely will only play a few more seasons for the team. Nevertheless, extending Tomlin gives the team stability at the head coach position, a facet of the Steelers which has always existed, as they have had only three head coaches (Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Tomlin) since 1969.
