Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he also hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016. The Steelers fell 31-17 to the Bills in Buffalo on Monday, marking the fifth-straight postseason loss for Pittsburgh.
Tomlin stormed off the podium when asked about having one year left on his contract after Monday’s loss, sparking more questions about his future with the Steelers.
NFL Insider Jason La Canfora of the Audacy original podcast “In The Huddle” explained why he would be shocked if the Pittsburgh Steelers moved on from head coach Mike Tomlin.
“That would be the stunner of all stunners,” La Canfora said (17:30 in player above). “Look, if he takes a sabbatical or whatever, that would be one thing, but the Steelers want him back and want to do a long-term extension with him. My suspicion is ultimately they get there.”
The NFL head coaching carousel will be in full swing this offseason with several high-profile coaches – and jobs – already available.
La Canfora mentioned that there has been a lot of finger pointing among Steelers fans, but doesn’t think they’ve realized how good they still have it with Tomlin.
“I know everybody wants to win the Super Bowl every year, that guy puts you in the conversation,” he continued. “He’s shown no matter what hand he’s dealt, we’re into late December, we’re into the playoff push and you still have a fighting chance. Don’t undermine what that means.”
The Steelers have certainly been in the playoff mix in the past several years but they’ve reached the AFC Championship Game just once since losing in the Super Bowl in 2010, going 3-8 in the playoffs in that span.
“If he wants to keep coaching period, it’ll be there,” La Canfora said. “Whether or not he steps away, he’s been doing this a long time but he’s still a young man and we’ve seen people in those situations at times – Joe Gibbs, Dick Vermeil, Jon Gruden – decide hey, I’m going to peel back for a while and spend more time with the family. I think he’ll be back and I know that the Rooney family thinks as highly of him as ever.”
No matter what happens, it’s going to be an interesting offseason in Pittsburgh.