Mike Tomlin gives big hint about Steelers future amid hot seat rumors

Rumors suggesting the Pittsburgh Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin could agree to a divorce if the Steelers miss the playoffs this season continue to hover over the organization amid summer workouts. 

During an appearance on the latest edition of "The Pivot" podcast, Tomlin seemed to offer a big hint regarding at least his short-term future.

"When I was young, man, football was the only thing that was black and white," Tomlin explained, as shared by Ross McCorkle of Steelers Depot. "Life choices was gray. Football made sense. I learned discipline, structure, and a lot of things through my experiences in football. And so I mean that when I say it, man. I got a love affair with this game. I couldn't imagine doing anything else."

Tomlin has guided the Steelers to one Super Bowl championship, has never had a losing season since he accepted the Pittsburgh job in 2007 and signed a three-year contract extension last offseason that reportedly pays him roughly $16M per year. Thus, one could assume both sides have reasons to want to continue this working relationship beyond the upcoming campaign. 

That said, Tomlin hasn't notched a single playoff win since the 2016 season, and his teams have lost five consecutive postseason games. Fair or not, some could believe the Steelers simply need a new voice in the locker room. 

It's also no secret that Tomlin is a big reason the Steelers will have 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers as their Week 1 starting quarterback in September. One can't help but wonder if the Rodgers experiment blowing up in Tomlin's face could result in the coach deciding in January that he needs a break from his current gig. 

Back in February, media insider Andrew Marchand of The Athletic speculated that Tomlin could be "the next $100M NFL TV analyst" if the 53-year-old wanted a different job. It sounds like Tomlin isn't thinking about voluntarily stepping away from an organization that has a history of not firing head coaches.

"I got a love affair with this game," Tomlin added during the podcast. "It's a real personal thing for me. I just love football. I love every component of it, every component of the journey, man. I'm excited every year because of that." 

It remains to be seen if Tomlin will feel excited about what's to come after the Steelers open the 2025 regular season with a matchup at the New York Jets, Rodgers' former team, on Sept. 7.