Steelers’ Mike Tomlin sees contract as ‘non-issue’ at time he’d traditionally get an extension
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It long was informal organizational policy that the Pittsburgh Steelers extended the contract of their head coach when he had two years remaining on his current deal.
That didn’t happen the last time Mike Tomlin’s contract was on the verge of expiring, and it doesn’t sound as if it will this time, either.
Asked about his contract status on the day the Steelers reported to Saint Vincent for the opening of training camp, Tomlin called it “a non-issue.”
“I haven’t thought about it,” Tomlin said Wednesday after the team’s conditioning test. “I am just in a stage in my career where I don’t care about contracts, to be honest with you.”
Tomlin, 51, is in his 17th season as Steelers coach. His teams have never had a losing season, but the Steelers also haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season.
In the past, it was Steelers practice to extend the contract of their head coach (and quarterback) when he had two seasons left on an existing deal. But the organization took a different route when Tomlin had two years left on a contract heading into the 2020 season. Still, Tomlin agreed to a three-year extension in 2021. While the value of the deal is not public, it is valued at least eight figures per year.
Asked about Tomlin’s contract status in January during his annual sitdown with select reporters, Steelers president Art Rooney II would say only, “I don’t like to speculate on Coach’s contract. We’ll see.”
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin indicates no one will open on the PUP list and everyone reported healthy and in shape pic.twitter.com/wN2YYgBnT9
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) July 26, 2023
Tomlin is the NFL’s second longest-tenured head coach with one team, behind only 71-year-old New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Tomlin led the Steelers to a victory in Super Bowl XLIII after his second season and to an AFC title two years later but is only 3-8 in the playoffs since Super Bowl XLV.
Tomlin has a 163-93-2 regular-season record, ranking 16th in career NFL coaching wins and third behind Belichick and the Kansas City Chiefs’ Andy Reid among active coaches. His .636 winning percentage ranks 12th all-time among those who coached 10 or more seasons.
“I acknowledge I’ve seen more days than I’m gonna see, you know?” Tomlin said. “That’s just the nature of this thing. I am appreciative of the opportunity, and I am singularly focused. I’m thankful I’m at a stage in my life and my career where (contract talks are) a non-issue for me.”
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