Art Rooney II mum on potential contract extension for Mike Tomlin

Mike Tomlin has two years remaining on his contract as coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, which historically is when he is in line to receive an extension.

An exception occurred in 2021 when he was heading into the last year of his deal, and team president Art Rooney II gave Tomlin a three-year contract through 2024.

During a meeting with beat reporters Thursday, Rooney declined comment on whether Tomlin would get an extension this year.

“I don’t like to speculate on Coach’s contract,” he said. “We’ll see.”

Rooney, though, was impressed with the way Tomlin navigated the Steelers to a 9-8 record after beginning the season 2-6. It didn’t result in a playoff berth, but it gave Tomlin a 16th consecutive non-losing season. The Steelers have played just one meaningless game in his tenure.

“The No. 1 thing I always want to see in the team — and it’s up to the coach to make this happen — is get better as the season goes on,” Rooney said. “You should be your best team at the end of the season. I thought we did that.”

The season saw a change in quarterbacks in the fourth week as rookie Kenny Pickett replaced veteran Mitch Trubisky. Pickett started all but one game the rest of the season.

“Bringing a rookie quarterback along, there is no one way to do it right,” Rooney said. “I think we wound up with a rookie quarterback who got better as the season went on. I think we’re excited about the future because of that. Those things are encouraging by the way Mike handled them.”

Rooney didn’t second-guess Tomlin’s decision to go with Trubisky at the outset of the season. Trubisky was signed to a two-year contract in free agency and took nearly all of the first-team snaps in offseason workouts and training camp.

“It’s no easy answer in terms of which way to break in a rookie quarterback,” Rooney said. “Normally you don’t go into the season saying you’re going to start the rookie. That’s not what I had in mind, and I don’t think that is what Mike expected. The way it turned out turned out pretty good, I think, because we didn’t expect to have Kenny as our starter Week 1.”

Rooney said he would like to see the team’s lack of playoff success change. The Steelers haven’t won a postseason game since 2016 and carry a four-game postseason losing streak.

“I’m not getting any younger,” the 70-year-old Rooney said.

“In terms of looking back, I don’t look too far backwards. I have to look at next year and what we have to do to get better. That’s got to be our focus.”

Rooney is about the same age his father was when Dan Rooney handed over control of the franchise in 2003. Art Rooney II, though, isn’t planning to slow down.

“I hope a long time,” he said when asked how long he’ll continue as team president. “That’s a hard thing to speculate. I feel good and, hopefully, I’ve got a few miles left in me.”

Other subjects Rooney II touched on during the 20-minute interview:

• The salary cap is expected to approach $225 million this year. Spotrac.com projects the Steelers, who have 58 players under contract, as being $3 million over the cap before any restructures or releases.

“As usual, it will be a challenge to get where we need to be,” Rooney said. “We’ll have to work hard to create the room we need to create.”

The Steelers will begin by trying to re-sign some of their impending free agents, particularly among a defensive group that includes Cameron Sutton, Terrell Edmunds, Larry Ogunjobi and Robert Spillane.

“There is a concern,” he said. “We have some guys we’d like to keep. We have some work to do in free agency.”

• The Steelers won’t play an international game this year, but a trip overseas or to Mexico in the future is welcomed under the right circumstances.

“We’d like to play at home for sure and are reluctant to give up a home game,” Rooney said. “The other side of the coin is we are fortunate to have fans in other countries, and we’d like to play in front of them once in a while. I expect in the near future we’d be involved in another one.”

Rooney said the franchise’s lease at Acrisure Stadium doesn’t prohibit the Steelers losing a home game if they are scheduled to host an international game.

• If the NFL ever decides to play conference championship games at neutral sites, it will not happen with Rooney’s blessing.

“I hate the idea,” he said. “I don’t like that at all. My sense is if you put that up for a vote, it wouldn’t pass today.”