PITTSBURGH (AP) — The NFL's longest-tenured head coach isn't leaving Pittsburgh anytime soon.
The Steelers signed Mike Tomlin to a three-year extension on Monday that will carry through at least the 2027 season. Tomlin was about to enter the final year of the deal he agreed to in April 2021.
The 52-year-old Tomlin is 173-100-2 since taking over for Hall of Famer Bill Cowher in 2007. Tomlin has yet to endure a losing season and despite speculation late last season that he was considering taking some time off, he remains intent on trying to help the Steelers stay in the mix in a highly competitive AFC.
“I am appreciative for this contract extension and thankful for Art Rooney II for his support during my first 17 years in Pittsburgh,” Tomlin said 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.”
Pittsburgh is coming off an eventful 10-7 season that ended with a first-round playoff loss to Buffalo. Tomlin was asked in the immediate aftermath about his future status and rather than answer he abruptly stormed off the podium.
A few days later the relentlessly energetic Tomlin hardly sounded like someone on the verge of burnout, stressing he was “on go” as he looked to 2024 and beyond.
“I coach football, that’s what I do,” Tomlin said in January. “I’m respectful of the position that I hold. I have no sense of entitlement in terms of what I do. I just got a high level of respect for what we all do in this space, and I try to earn it daily.”
While Pittsburgh has been consistently competitive under Tomlin, the franchise also hasn't won a postseason game since the divisional round of the 2016 playoffs, an eight-year drought that marks the club's longest since the “Immaculate Reception” in 1972.
Tomlin's decision to stick around extends an unmatched level of continuity atop an organization that's had just three head coaches since 1969. Yet the Steelers have also made a series of moves of late that suggest the team is no longer content on merely being in the mix in mid-January.
In the past year alone Tomlin fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada in midseason, the team's first in-season dismissal of a high-level coach since World War II.
Pittsburgh spent the offseason completely overhauling its quarterback room, signing Russell Wilson in free agency, trading away Kenny Pickett and acquiring Justin Fields from Chicago.
Tomlin has used the word “excited” in recent months to talk about Pittsburgh's immediate future. The new contract indicates owner Art Rooney II's commitment to letting Tomlin try and find a difference-maker at quarterback, something that's been an issue since Ben Roethlisberger's retirement following the 2021 season.
“Mike Tomlin’s leadership and commitment to the Steelers have been pivotal to our success during his first 17 years as head coach,” Rooney said 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.”
The Steelers have mandatory minicamp this week then take a break before reporting for training camp at Saint Vincent College on July 24.
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