Steelers coach Mike Tomlin confirms his return at season-ending press conference

Mike Tomlin is ready to fulfill the final year of his contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he’s confident the 2024 season won’t be his last with the organization.

Fresh off his 17th season with the Steelers, Tomlin said Thursday at his end-of-season news conference that he is confident an extension can be negotiated with team president Art Rooney II.

“Yes, I expect to be back, and I’d imagine those contract things are going to run their course,” Tomlin said three days after the Steelers’ season ended with a 31-17 loss to Buffalo in an AFC wild-card game. “Art and I have a really good and transparent relationship. We communicate continually and often. I don’t imagine it’s going to be an issue. I imagine it’s going to get done in a timely manner at the appropriate time.

“My mindset is to coach this football team, certainly.”

The Steelers traditionally have extended their head coach’s contract with two years remaining on his deal. Rooney, however, didn’t do that this past season, allowing Tomlin to enter the offseason in the final year of his three-year contract.

Rooney II said in a statement provided to TribLive that he “plans to extend” Tomlin’s contract.

The Steelers went 10-7, ensuring Tomlin’s 17th non-losing season — the longest streak by a coach at the start of his NFL career — but they lost their playoff opener for the fourth consecutive time. The Steelers have gone seven years without a playoff victory, the franchise’s longest drought since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger.

In December, after the Steelers lost three games in a row to fall to 7-7, several national media members, including one with close ties to Tomlin, reported it might be time for him to leave the organization, take a year off from coaching or join another franchise.

Tomlin emphatically said Thursday he never has considered stepping away from the Steelers.

“I understand that speculation is a component of what it is we do,” he said. “I try not to get caught up in it and distracted by it, particularly when it’s not where I’m at.”

After the loss in Buffalo on Monday, Tomlin bristled when his contract status was mentioned at the end of his media session. He turned left and walked off the dais before the question could be completed.

“I’m in a little better mood today,” Tomlin joked Thursday as he greeted reporters. “Anybody got any contract questions?”

“I certainly could have handled that situation better than I did,” Tomlin added, “but I’ll also say this: I believe there is a time and a place for everything. Post-game press conferences probably are not the place to discuss contract issues and things of that nature.”

Tomlin expects to have openings on his coaching staff beyond the hiring of a new offensive coordinator following Matt Canada’s dismissal in November. He said having a new contract in place would help show organizational stability and admitted it could be a factor in March with the Steelers trying to lure free agents.

“No question that is a component of it,” he said. “Fielding less questions from you guys is a component of it. That’s probably the only level of importance for me. Security is cool, but it’s not a top priority for me. I’ve seen a lot. I’m not job scared, but it does provide less questions and things of that nature.”

Rooney could elect to add another year to Tomlin’s contract or offer a multi-year deal as he has done in the past. It matters little to Tomlin.

“I just like coming to work,” he said. “My card key works. I’m going to keep doing so. I just don’t spend a lot of time on the big-picture perspective. I just don’t.”

Instead, his focus will be getting the organization back to a place where the Steelers are consistently winning postseason games. The Steelers haven’t reached the conference championship game since 2016. They haven’t appeared in a Super Bowl since 2010, and they haven’t hoisted a Lombardi Trophy since 2008.

“It all (stinks). It does,” he said. “There are no degrees of (stink). It all (stinks). I’d rather be working.”

In his exit interviews with players, Tomlin has sought feedback on what can be done differently in 2024. Running back Najee Harris said after the loss at Buffalo that the Steelers needed more structure and discipline after a season in which talented wide receivers Diontae Johnson and George Pickens didn’t face any on-field punishment after their effort was questioned in games against Cincinnati and Indianapolis, respectively.

“Certainly, there need to be changes,” Tomlin said. “We can’t do the same things and expect a different result. I’m open and willing to do that.”