The Pittsburgh Steelers have employed Mike Tomlin as their head coach since 2007. The Steelers had early success in his tenure, appearing in two Super Bowls in his first five seasons. Pittsburgh has not been back since and is currently on a five-game playoff losing streak. The defense has not given up less than 31 points in those playoff losses.
AP Photo
Steelers Team President Art Rooney II (left) and Head Coach Mike Tomlin (right) oversee practice during the 2021 minicamp in Pittsburgh.
Tomlin caught a lot of heat during the 2023 season for various reasons. Steeler Nation was up in arms about Matt Canada until he was fired after an embarrassing loss to the Cleveland Browns. The team showed mild offensive improvement with Kenny Pickett the following week. After he was knocked out of the Arizona Cardinals game in what was to be the first of three consecutive losses, Tomlin turned to Mitch Trubisky. It was a disastrous decision, and even the national media began questioning whether the Steelers should retain Tomlin when they fell back to .500.
He then turned to Mason Rudolph with the season on the line, and it worked. The Steelers won three games and earned a playoff appearance against the Buffalo Bills.
After losing in the Wild Card Round, Tomlin stormed out of his postgame press conference when ESPN reporter Brooke Pryor asked about his future. On Monday, Art Rooney II sat down with Rob King for an interview on Steelers.com and addressed some of the rumors that had been circulating about Tomlin’s future.
“Number one, he certainly assured me that he’s not looking to take a break or have a sabbatical or any other stuff that was being discussed,” Rooney stated. “Mike loves football and loves being here. I’m happy he wants to be here this year and into the future.”
Tomlin’s friends in the media, like Fox Sports' Jay Glazer, dropped hints at the height of the Tomlin criticism in 2023 that if the two parties separated, it would only be because Tomlin chose to leave. Rich Eisen from NFL Network openly criticized Steeler Nation for daring to want more than an endless stream of mediocrity. Adam Schefter reported that a sabbatical was possible for Tomlin to recharge his batteries and return to coaching in a new location in 2025.
The Rich Eisen Show
Steelers fans were taken to task for questioning Rich Eisen's friend, Mike Tomlin.
Rooney and Tomlin seem committed to each other for the foreseeable future. Terms of a contract extension have yet to be announced, but during his press conference on Monday, Rooney confirmed that one would be forthcoming. Those affirmations came one day before the Steelers hired Arthur Smith as their new offensive coordinator.
Steelers' Mike Tomlin Offers Refreshing Clarity And Candidly Acknowledges The Need For Change In 2024
At his end-of-the-year press conference a week before, Tomlin indicated that major changes were coming on the offensive coaching staff and did not rule out exploring alternatives on the defensive side of the ball. After Rooney held his own press conference on Monday confirming that the new Steelers' offensive coordinator and other coaching staff decisions would be left to Tomlin, a whirlwind of activity followed.
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Steelers' Arthur Smith as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
Pittsburgh announced that Smith, who has produced compelling running game statistics with the Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons, would be joining the staff after exactly one interview with a candidate that met Tomlin and Rooney's minimum criteria. A rumor started circulating that the Smith hiring would bring about a reunion with Mike Munchak, the highly regarded former Steelers' offensive line coach. Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette quickly quashed it, indicating the Steelers had already committed to Pat Meyer returning in 2024.
What kind of change is actually taking place? If Smith was in such demand that they had to act quickly to hire him, why are they forcing him to retain incumbent assistant coaches? Meyer has done a good job getting improvement out of the offensive line, but he is not Munchak. Rumors of Mike Sullivan being retained as the quarterback coach have surfaced, and based on that, you would have to assume that Eddie Faulkner's return as running back coach is not far behind. None of them have a history with Smith.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan could be returning to the coaching staff in 2024.
Teryl Austin is being retained as the defensive coordinator in Pittsburgh, and presumably, most of the staff on that side of the ball along with him. At this point, the only change to a coaching staff that produced another first-round exit in the playoffs could be Smith.
How effective will he be staring at the best assistants Canada could attract, who may resist any changes he wants to make? Rooney is about to bestow a contract extension on Tomlin for making one change to his coaching staff with expectations of a different result in 2024. It was a smoke screen by Tomlin, and we all fell for it. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Are you comfortable with the Steelers coaching staff for 2024? Please comment below or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq.
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