Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is tired of answering questions about his contract status.
Fortunately for him, he won’t have to anymore.
During the Steelers’ end-of-season news conference on Thursday, team president Art Rooney II confirmed he’d already made up his mind about Tomlin’s future.
After Mike Tomlin’s press conference, team president Art Rooney II told the Post-Gazette the Steelers “plan to extend Mike’s contract,” as expected.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) January 18, 2024
Tomlin confirmed as much when he spoke to reporters, stating he and Rooney had already had discussions about a potential extension and hinting it wouldn’t be long before he put pen to paper.
“I expect to be back, and I would imagine that those contract things are going to run their course,” Tomlin said. “Art and I have a really good, transparent relationship. We communicate continually often. I don't imagine it's going to be an issue, and I imagine it's going to get done in a timely manner at the appropriate time, but my mindset is to coach his football team.”
After storming out of his postgame news conference Monday following a 31-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills during Super Wild Card Weekend when asked about his contract status, Tomlin admitted to reporters on Thursday that the tantrum wasn’t his finest moment.
“I certainly could have handled that situation better than I did,” Tomlin added. “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.”
In his 17 seasons, the Steelers have never had a losing record, and Tomlin has gone 173-100-2. He has the third-most wins among active head coaches and the 13th-most wins all-time. His .633 win percentage is also sixth-best among active coaches as well.
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