Steelers Maintain Stability With Mike Tomlin Extension

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin walks off the field after a 51-34 win over the Indianapolis Colts in an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2014. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season in his 17 years as the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

That success and those leadership skills have helped Tomlin become the longest-tenured coach in the NFL.

Tomlin now has the opportunity to add to his legacy with the Steelers after signing a three-year extension that will keep him in Pittsburgh through the 2027 season. Tomlin was hired in 2007 and is only the third Steelers head coach since the 1969 season, joining Hall of Famers Chuck Noll (1969–1991) and Bill Cowher (1992–2006) over that span.

“Mike Tomlin’s leadership and commitment to the Steelers have been pivotal to our success during his first 17 years as head coach,” said Steelers President Art Rooney II in a statement. “Extending his contract for three more years reflects our confidence in his ability to guide the team back to winning playoff games and championships, while continuing our tradition of success.”

In 2009, Tomlin, at 36 years and 323 days old, became the youngest head coach in NFL history to coach and win a Super Bowl when the Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals, 27–23, in Super Bowl XLIII. Sean McVay broke that record in 2021 when he coached the Los Angeles Rams to a victory in Super Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals at age 33.

Nonetheless, Tomlin has been able to sustain success over his career. Tomlin’s 17-year streak of finishing with a winning percentage of .500 or better is the third longest by any head coach in NFL history, trailing only the Dallas Cowboys’ Tom Landry (21) and the New England Patriots’ Bill Belichick (19).

He has led the Steelers to seven AFC North titles, most recently in 2020, and 11 playoff berths. He has also guided Pittsburgh to two Super Bowl (XLIII and XLV) appearances.

Tomlin has a 173–100–2 (.633) regular season record. The 173 regular season wins are the second-most among active NFL head coaches behind Kansas City’s Andy Reid. Tomlin has coached nearly 80 players that have earned trips to the NFL Pro Bowl.

He has also been a member of the NFL’s Competition Committee since 2013.

“I am appreciative for this contract extension and thankful for Art Rooney II for his support during my first 17 years in Pittsburgh,” said Tomlin in a statement. “We are continuing to work diligently to get back to where we belong – sustained playoff success with the ultimate goal of winning the franchise’s seventh Lombardi Trophy. I am very excited to get the 2024 season underway and provide our fans with a memorable year.”

The 2023–2024 season was one of the most challenging of Tomlin’s NFL career. The Steelers had a three-game losing streak in mid-December that dropped them to 7–7 and it appeared that Tomlin might suffer his first losing season.

He benched quarterback Kenny Pickett, the team’s first-round selection in 2022, and started veteran backup Mason Rudolph. The Steelers bounced back and ended the season with three straight victories, including wins over AFC North rivals Cincinnati and Baltimore.

The Steelers finished the year at 10–7 and made the playoffs where they lost to the Buffalo Bills 31–17. Pittsburgh has not won a playoff game since 2016 with three losses in the wild-card round.

Questions were also raised about his future in Pittsburgh and he walked out of a news conference when pressed about the speculation he might not return as coach on Jan. 15.

He later apologized for that reaction.

“I certainly could have handled that situation better than I did,” Tomlin said at another news conference three days later. “But I'll also say this: I just believe there’s a time and place for everything and post-game press conferences are probably not the place to address contract issues and things of that nature. It’s just a very individual thing and on game day, I doubt any of us are in that mindset. Certainly, I am not.”

Tomlin made several changes to get back on track. He parted ways with offensive coordinator Matt Canada midway through last season. Tomlin has since hired former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith to fill the role.

The Steelers also signed nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson in free agency after he was released after two disappointing seasons with the Denver Broncos. Pittsburgh also sent a conditional sixth-round pick to the Chicago Bears for former first-round quarterback Justin Fields after Pickett was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Steelers also found help for the defense inside the AFC North by signing Pro Bowl inside linebacker Partick Queen as a free agent. Queen was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round (28th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft, but the team opted not to re-sign him as a free agent.

Queen said he took less money to sign with the Steelers because they gave him the best chance to win with Tomlin at the helm.

“From all the 15 teams that I was talking to, it came down to, like, five at the end,” Queen said on a Steelers podcast on May 24. “I have a chance to either go win or I have a chance to get paid. For me, the difference was like $4 (million) or $5 million. I’m looking at it like, I’ve never been on a losing team before, and then I also don’t want to be a part of anything being rebuilt because I’m trying to win now. I’m really just trying to win right now, get that out the way, and then get paid later.”