Near the end of the season, there were some questions regarding whether coach Mike Tomlin’s job was safe with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The question might be whether Tomlin himself wants to continue.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported at halftime of Saturday’s Browns-Texans game that Tomlin is not guaranteed to return to the Steelers in 2024.
The longtime head coach is entering the last year of his contract and plans to sit down with his family to make a decision on his future.
“I’m told he’s going to step back after the season ends and make a decision about his future with his family,” Florio said. “He loves the team. He loves the young players they have there. But after the season, he’ll huddle with his family and make a decision about his future with the Steelers.”
This is, intriguingly, not the first time this has been mentioned, and some around the league do seem to think Tomlin could take at least a year off from coaching.
The Steelers had a fairly tumultuous season filled with offensive struggles, but recovered to finish 10-7 and will face the Buffalo Bills on Monday in the AFC wild-card round.
Tomlin has been the Steelers’ head coach since 2007 and has never posted a losing record. However, things have been a bit of a struggle by the organization’s standards for the last six years or so, and the team has not won a playoff game since 2017.
More must-reads: