Steelers' Art Rooney II makes feelings on Mike Tomlin clear

As recently as last week, some noteworthy members of the NFL community continued to suggest that the Pittsburgh Steelers should trade head coach Mike Tomlin to an interested team following Pittsburgh's latest one-and-done playoff appearance. 

Tomlin clearly isn't going anywhere this offseason, and Steelers team president Art Rooney II gave the coach a public vote of confidence during Rooney's end-of-season media availability on Monday.

"When you look at how many games Mike has won in this league, you don't win that many games if you're not a good coach. I know he's frustrated like we all are...but we still feel good about him being the leader," Rooney said, as shared by Brooke Pryor of ESPN.

Tomlin, who turns 53 years old in March, is a one-time Super Bowl champion head coach who has never had a losing season since he accepted the Steelers job in 2007. He also hasn't recorded a playoff win since the 2016 campaign, and that has some believing the Steelers could use a new voice to get the proud franchise back to competing for more than just postseason appearances. 

"It's fair to question it after losing five in a row," Rooney responded when asked if Tomlin's messaging is still resonating with his players coming off Pittsburgh's fifth consecutive playoff defeat, a 28-14 wild-card loss to the rival Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 11. "But when I talk to the players, I think the players still want to play for Mike, and so I'm not concerned about his message."

Tomlin clearly has supporters among those currently in the Steelers locker room and among players attached to other organizations this winter. Additionally, he may have become the most-coveted candidate of this offseason's hiring cycle had he and the Steelers agreed to part ways after the Ravens game. 

If nothing else, Rooney's latest comments indicate he never came close to moving on from Tomlin despite what fans and some local media personalities had to say following Pittsburgh's loss to Baltimore. Tomlin signed a three-year contract extension that reportedly included a no-trade clause last offseason, and it sounds like he could stay in his job through at least the expiration of that deal.