Mike Tomlin will remain the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers for the upcoming 2025 NFL season. After losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, the Chicago Bears made an unsuccessful attempt to hire the veteran coach of the Art Rooney II-led team.
While it’s been eight years since the Steelers have won a postseason game, Tomlin’s work in Pittsburgh has been remarkable. The 52-year-old is the longest-tenured coach in the league today, so it’s not an easy decision to open the door for him to leave, even if the results haven’t lived up to fans’ expectations.
The Bears finally confirmed Ben Johnson as their new head coach. But before that, Chicago asked for permission to negotiate with Pittsburgh, but the management of the Black and Gold team rejected the possibility of negotiations. At the same time, it was Tomlin who said that he and general manager Omar Khan were already working on implementing changes at various levels of the Steelers. At a press conference on Monday, the president of the Pittsburgh franchise explained the situation.
Art Rooney II broke silence on Bears-Steelers negotiations for Tomlin
“It really didn’t go very far. We weren’t interested in really pursuing it, and so it was a pretty short conversation,” Rooney II confessed to KDKA about the frustrated trade that sent Tomlin to the Bears. As NFL insider Adam Schefter had said, there was contact between the two teams, though Chicago never had a chance at a successful negotiation.
Art Rooney II, the president of the Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers to decide between Justin Fields and Russell Wilson
Mike Tomlin has no quarterbacks under contract for next season, so the Steelers must decide whether to extend the contracts of Justin Fields or Russell Wilson, both of whom will be free agents in the coming days. Rooney II confirmed to reporters that only one of the two will remain in Pittsburgh.
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Steelers key player fires back to Mike Tomlin’s detractors after playoff elimination
After the loss to the Ravens, cornerback Donte Jackson defended Tomlin from criticism. “The message to the Tomlin haters. I would just be like, ‘Be careful what you wish for.’ I’ve seen in my six years in Carolina, I’ve seen three coaches get fired during the season. Some guys go through their whole career and not see one head coach get fired,” he said.
