The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a roller coaster of a season. However, they secured a big win yesterday against the Cincinnati Bengals that likely saved their 2023 NFL season. This win may have helped influence the Steelers to make a decision on one of their biggest assets. Find out what Pittsburgh may want to do with head coach Mike Tomlin below.
Pittsburgh Steelers Looking to Extend Mike Tomlin
According to Pro Football Talk, the Pittsburgh Steelers are likely looking to extend head coach Mike Tomlin for the 2024 season and beyond. This rumor comes immediately after the Steelers had a huge win to improve their 2023 record to 8-7. Pittsburgh has a chance to make a playoff push and at least finish the regular season with a record over .500.
Mike Tomlin’s Tenure
Mike Tomlin has had a memorable tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Right now, it is the second-longest active head coach tenure in the NFL. The only head coach to stay with the same team for a longer stint currently is New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. However, given how their 2023 season is going, Tomlin may take that title next season if his rumor and Belichick’s rumor are accurate.
Back in 2007, Tomlin took the Steelers head coach job after legendary head coach Bill Cowher decided to retire. Tomlin had immediate success, as they won a Super Bowl the second year he was their head coach.
While the Steelers have not won another Super Bowl since then, they have had some success as a franchise. They did appear in another Super Bowl two years later. Plus, Pittsburgh has not finished an NFL season under .500 since Tomlin took the job. If they win one more game in the 2023 NFL season, they can extend this streak.
Pittsburgh Steelers Moving Forward
Despite this positive rumor, the Steelers are going to have some issues they need to address. The first being the offense as a whole. It took 11 games for Pittsburgh to finally outgain an opponent this season. As a result, they had to fire offensive coordinator Matt Canada.
Besides this, there are real question marks at the quarterback position. So far, there have been three different quarterbacks to start in the 2023 season. Part of this is due to injuries that QB Kenny Pickett has dealt with. However, with just 2,070 passing yards and six touchdown passes this season, it is fair to start wondering if Pickett is the long-term answer for the Steelers and someone Tomlin wants to stick with.
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