The NFL‘s longest-tenured head coach said Thursday he plans on returning to the Steelers for an 18th season, brushing aside speculation that he was on the cusp of burning out and considering taking a step back.
When asked if he had told anyone that he needed a break, Tomlin shook his head and laughed, “no.” He added that the longer he goes without a win in the playoffs—which now stands at seven years—the more passionate he gets about his work. Tomlin’s career includes a Super Bowl ring.
In Tomlin’s 17 seasons, the Steelers have gone 10-8, never finishing below.500 since he succeeded Bill Cowher in January 2007.
However, since making it to the AFC championship game in 2016, Pittsburgh has also been forced to play on a sort of treadmill, with five seasons of eight to ten victories and four early playoff exits.
As though Tomlin believes the Steelers have closed the gap on the teams playing in the divisional round this weekend, he also allowed it doesn’t matter.
“It all really stinks,” Tomlin remarked. It’s not about badness in degrees. Everything is awful. I’d much rather be at work.
Rather, Tomlin will begin preparing for the NFL draft and free agency throughout the upcoming weeks, as well as interviewing candidates for the position of offensive coordinator, who he claimed will come from outside the club.
Tomlin, who signed a contract extension in 2021, is about to reach the last year of it. Shortly after the Steelers’ loss to the Bills, he stormed off rather than respond to a question about it. After three days, Tomlin acknowledged, “I could have handled the situation better than I did,” but he also said he didn’t think it was appropriate to talk about his future at that point.
Pittsburgh will play a role in that future. He refused to enter
Tomlin stated, “I think it will be completed on schedule and in a timely manner.” “But I really think of myself as this football team’s coach.”
For a squad that will have a lot of questions to answer in the upcoming months, Tomlin’s presence might be one of the few certainties throughout an offseason.
The most significant one was at quarterback, where Kenny Pickett had an unsatisfactory first full season as the starter, stuttering as much as shining. Prior to requiring surgery in early December to mend his right ankle, Pickett only threw six touchdowns in 12 games. Although he healed, the 2022 first-round pick watched former third-stringer Mason Rudolph lead the Steelers into the playoffs in the final weeks.
Tomlin is still there. “extremely confident in Pickett” and praised the intangibles Pickett brings to the table. Still, entering his third season, Pickett needs to start providing tangible evidence of progress too.
Drawing emphasis on the word “huge,” Tomlin stated, “We acknowledge that it is a huge year for him.” However, I’m also looking forward to seeing him wear that part of it because I understand how he’s constructed and wired. I can’t wait to see him go after it.
Rudolph passed for five touchdowns against just one interception in his 3-1 season as a starter. Though Tomlin said the team is considering bringing Rudolph back to face Pickett the following summer, he is also set to become a free agent in March.
