By CJ Carlson
Mike Tomlin has long been the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and in all of these years, he’s yet to have a losing season. That streak continued with the Steelers winning 10 games, but once again, they were bounced early in the postseason against the Buffalo Bills this weekend. After the loss, a reporter asked about his future with the team, apparently something that he didn’t feel like discussing at that point.
There have been talks surrounding Tomlin’s future as the head coach of the Steelers for a while now. It was just incredibly difficult to argue that he didn’t deserve to still be there with the fact that he’s yet to have a losing season. With another disappointing playoff loss, one ESPN reporter had to question what Tomlin’s future might look like. She said, “Mike, you have a year left on your contract” and Tomlin immediately turned around and left the room.
Mike Tomlin And Pittsburgh Could Be Drifting Apart
Mike Tomlin has had 17 straight years of non-losing seasons, but it feels almost inevitable that both him and the Steelers will split soon. It’s not because there’s a lack of respect for one another, it’s more so that each party needs a fresh start. The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016, which is currently their longest playoff drought dating back to 1970. Plus, with one year left on his contract, Tomlin could be traded to another roster and Pittsburgh could add on some picks.
The bottom line though is that the head coaching spot isn’t the only thing that the Steelers need to figure out. A quarterback is arguably their biggest position of need. Yes, Mason Rudolph played great football down the stretch, but the likelihood of him getting the starting job again feels low considering that Kenny Pickett was still being listed atop the depth chart.
Pickett and Rudolph will battle for the job alongside any other signal caller on the roster in the offseason. For now, that will be their biggest concern. Head coaching decisions will come next.
