The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs dealt a blow to the present of the team led by head coach Mike Tomlin, a figure about whom rumors had begun to swirl regarding his future.
The possibility of seeing Tomlin leave the Steelers sounds rare. The 52-year-old has been in the job since 2007, the longest tenure of any current NFL head coach. However, after 18 years and a fourth loss in five years in the first round of the postseason, the various versions began to grow timid.
Last week, NFL insider Adam Schefter said on the Pat McAfee Show that there were teams sounding out Tomlin to bring him on board. Many franchises are in search of a HC after the regular season and some organizations had reportedly looked at the Pittsburgh head coach.
Tomlin’s response to teams interested in him
At Tuesday’s season-ending press conference, Tomlin was asked what message he had for teams interested in hiring him as a coach. “I don’t have a message for them. Save your time. I enjoy the urgency that comes with what I do. I don’t make excuses for failure. I embrace it. But I also feel like I’m capable,” the Steelers coach said emphatically.
Mike Tomlin, the head coach of the Steelers
Tomlin signed a contract extension in mid-2024 that keeps him with the Steelers through 2027. The Pittsburgh head coach has stated on more than one occasion that he is very happy to be with the franchise and has also said that he is already working on building the team for the 2025 NFL season.
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Tomlin was highly self-critical after loss to Ravens
The resounding loss to the Ravens caused Tomlin to reflect on the Steelers’ mistakes in the Wild Card round. “I certainly understand the frustrations and, probably more important than that, I share them. Because that’s how I’m wired. I’m not a big-time comfort seeker, and particularly in circumstances such as this, I don’t view myself as a comfort provider because words are hollow. It’s about what we do”, Tomlin sentenced.
“I’m certainly disappointed that I’m not working to prepare to play this week, and I’ve certainly felt that in recent years, but stuck is kind of a helpless feeling, and I don’t know that I feel helpless”, said Tomlin, analyzing the Steelers’ recent playoff losses.
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