After the Pittsburgh Steelers’ disappointing loss to the New England Patriots on Thursday night, speculation started to stir about the status of head coach Mike Tomlin. However, it sounds like he won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported, “It’s hard to find anyone in the Steelers’ organization who strongly believes 51-year-old Mike Tomlin will get fired.”
The Steelers are notorious for their retention of head coaches, as Tomlin is just the third coach the franchise has had since 1969 after Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher. Tomlin’s contract expires at the end of the 2024 season after he didn’t receive an extension this past summer. Still, that doesn’t mean his tenure will end at that time, as Russini pointed out that “Pittsburgh owner Art Rooney II doesn’t make knee-jerk decisions regarding his staff, and he has proven to be one of the most loyal owners in sports.”
Pittsburgh ranks third in the AFC North with a 7-6 record. The team’s offense has struggled to find consistency throughout the year, as it ranks in the bottom half of the NFL with averages of 16.2 points and 292.5 yards per game.
The Steelers already made a major change when they fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada, and Russini noted that “even that was described by people around the league as a surprising move despite how badly the offense was struggling.” However, it reportedly was Tomlin who made the call to let Canada go, as Rooney “was made aware” of the decision.
Pittsburgh remains in the hunt for the playoffs, but the team will face some tough competition over the final four weeks of the season. The Steelers will try to bounce back and remain in contention when they return to
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