Mike Tomlin is now entering his 16th season in the NFL as a head coach, all with the same team: the Pittsburgh Steelers. Only Bill Belichick has a longer tenure with the New England Patriots, yet even he has not matched Tomlins’ excellence of never having a losing season. As a result, the Steelers usually pick players in the bottom third of the draft, yet still find excellent talent like TJ Watt, Cameron Heyward, Maurkice Pouncey, and Najee Harris.
Outside of football, Tomlin has a passion for empowering young black youth and fathers alike through his mentor programs like ‘Man Up’ to improve the communities in Pittsburgh, as well as his hometown of Hampton Roads, VA. With his success of being the longest tenured black head coach (by 15 years), paired with his honest, open way of communicating, young football players remember the times vividly when they interact directly with Coach Tomlin.
Malik Willis said he had dinner with Mike Tomlin on Mon. night.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) March 22, 2022
“He was eating chicken wings. He’s like a normal dude.”
Meeting with Malik Willis could have been overwhelming, but Tomlin has a way of making players feel at ease when he’s building relationships through the draft process. This is now Tomlin’s 16th offseason, and he does not draft every person he meets with, but he does create relationships so when some of those players become available through cuts, or free agency, Tomlin’s clout of being a coach players want to play for, builds with each season. Coach Tomlin now becomes a reason why free agents like Ahkello Witherspoon want to play in Pittsburgh.
Steelers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon on a Zoom call today, on why he re-signed here: "I enjoy playing with my brothers, enjoy the city of Pittsburgh, and just on top of being coached by such a great coach by Mike Tomlin, it just made the decision pretty easy."
— Brian Batko (@BrianBatko) March 28, 2022
Dwayne Haskins was taken 15th in the 2019 NFL Draft, so Pittsburgh did not have a chance to pick him up in the draft, but they were able to grab him as a free agent when he was cut by the Washington Commanders. Haskins respects the Steelers organization and Coach Tomlin specifically:
“I wanted to be a quarterback my entire life. To be the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers is a dream. I remember watching Ben Roethlisberger when I was a young kid in 2004 and watching him play, so I’ve always had great respect for the black and gold, I have great respect for Coach Tomlin, you know the guy has had 15 seasons without a losing record. So for me, I want to be able to show him that I want this bad, focused, I want to be a leader, and be the guy that people can rely on, on and off the field; more than just a guy that can throw the ball and talented enough to be in a position to execute at a high level and keep the Steelers way.”
Even this season, with a glaring need at strong safety, Mike Tomlin has the ear of top free agents like Tyrann Mathieu, so when coach Tomlin called, Honey Badger answered:
“I mean, just being able to have this time with family though, it’s cool. But I still try to enjoy the process. It’s still cool talking to all the coaches, the different coaches, cause some of these guys man. Mike Tomlin calling your phone. He like ‘Hey oh, this Mike T’, you know, so just being able to talk to these guys, man.”
As Mike Tomlin continues to direct the Pittsburgh Steelers, his legacy and respect grows. He knows how to create personal relationships through Senior Bowls, NFL Combines, and Pro Days, and those relationships are now giving the Pittsburgh Steelers a competitive advantage when it comes to landing talented football players during free agency.
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