The Pittsburgh Steelers’ season came to a heartbreaking end. Their lackluster offense was no match to the Buffalo Bills’, and their defense crumbled without T.J. Watt on the field.
It was a tumultous season overall for the Black and Gold. George Pickens made the rounds for his social media antics, Kenny Pickett lost his job and reportedly refused to be a backup, and even Ben Roethlisberger called out the team on his podcast.
On top of that, there was a lot of talking about Mike Tomlin’s future with the organization. Some fans wanted him to get fired just like Matt Canada, regardless of his 17 non-losing seasons.
The former Super Bowl winner, who only has one year left in his contract, fueled that speculation even more when he stormed out of his press conference when asked about his future. However, it seems like he’s not going anywhere for the time being.
Mike Tomlin head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Tomlin To Come Back In 2024
“Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told players on Tuesday the speculation about him stepping away is unfounded and he plans on coaching the team in 2024, NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported,” revealed NFL.com “Tomlin, who is entering the final season on his current contract, is expected to address the media later this week, Garafolo added.”
Tomlin has the second-most consecutive non-losing seasons to start a head coaching career (17), trailing only the legendary Tom Landry. However, they haven’t won a playoff game since 2017.
Granted, the Steelers haven’t had a good quarterback situation for the past five years or so, yet he continues to find ways to stay competitive and win football games.
The Players Support Coach Tomlin
Notably, Tomlin seems to have the full support of his veterans. Cam Heyward was mad at the fact that his continuity with the team was even in question, especially at that particular time:
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin
“Why would he answer a question like that?” Heyward told The Athletic. “He was worried about trying to win a playoff game, and then last night, we just lost a big playoff game. Why does he have to address that then? Mike T. wants to be a Pittsburgh Steeler. Is a Pittsburgh Steeler. Why would anybody ask for anything else?”
If that wasn’t enough, superstar OLB T.J. Watt doubled down on the support. He made it loud and clear that he didn’t want to play for any other head coach not named Mike Tomlin.
“[The coach] It was huge in my contract talks,” the former Defensive Player of the Year said following the loss to the Bills. “I don’t want to play for anyone other than Mike T.”
Still, the Steelers have plenty of work to do. Tomlin or not, they need to fix plenty of offensive issues, and they still need to figure out what to do with their quarterback situation and whether Kenny Pickett is the right guy to lead them going forward.
see also
NFL Rumors: 3 Potential replacements for Nick Sirianni
Tomlin is one of the best coaches in the game, and at least half of the teams would hire him in a heartbeat. But the clock is ticking, and patience is running out in Pittsburgh.
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Is Tomlin the right guy for the Steelers?
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