Steelers owner makes bold statement about Mike Tomlin's future

The Pittsburgh Steelers went through a bit of a roller coaster of a season. Mike Tomlin continues to chase the NFL’s record for the most consecutive non-losing seasons to start a career, trailing the legendary Tom Landry.

Nonetheless, that might not be enough for the fans at this point. While staying competitive is always nice, they feel like it’s time to take a leap forward and actually make some noise in the playoffs.

With that in mind, and considering the fact that he only had one year left in his contract, some people speculated that the former Super Bowl-winning coach could be on his way out.

Art Rooney II Talks About Mike Tomlin’s Extension

Still, that’s not going to be the case, and even star pass rusher T.J. Watt made it loud and clear that he would leave the team if that were to happen. With that in mind, owner Art Rooney II addressed his impending contract extension:

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.

“The players still respond to Mike, and that’s No. 1,” Rooney told ESPN. “He still has the key characteristics that we saw when we hired him. He can keep the attention of a group of 20-year-olds for a whole season and keep them in the fight for the whole way. So, still feel good about Mike. Obviously if I didn’t, [we] would make a change, but if we didn’t think Mike was able to lead us to a championship, he wouldn’t be here, and that’s why he is here.”

Tomlin is obviously one of the best and most respected coaches in the game, and he would’ve been the hottest and most sought-after asset league-wide if he had become available.

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Still, there’s only so much he — or any other coach — can do with the hand he’s been given, and the front office will have to go the extra mile to add more firepower to that offense.