3 reasons Mike Tomlin’s contract extension is good for the Steelers
By Tommy Jaggi
The Steelers recently extended Mike Tomlin’s contract through the 2024 season. Here’s why this is good for Pittsburgh.
Despite his fantastic career record of 145-78-1, there are many Steelers fans out there who question whether the recent re-signing of head coach Mike Tomlin to a three-year extension was a good idea. Some of these questions are justified.
Tomlin has never had a losing record since joining the organization back in 2007, but things haven’t quite gone according to plan for the Steelers in recent years either. While Pittsburgh was missing quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for nearly all of the 2019 season, Tomlin’s team simply has not been good down the stretch for years now. Since 2018, Pittsburgh has a record of just 7-11 from Weeks 12-17, and this is something that clearly must improve.
Though there is no guarantee that Tomlin will be able to turn this ship back around and start stringing together playoff wins, he gives them as good of a chance as anyone right now. Here are three reasons why Mike Tomlin’s extension was good for the Steelers:
Familiarity and experience
Tomlin is one of the most iconic head coaches in all of football, but he’s not getting by on just his reputation alone. He never would have made it this far if he wasn’t as successful as he has been. In theory, the thought of bringing in a fresh, new offensive-minded head coach sounds terrific, but Pittsburgh may not quite be ready for that.
Instead of wiping the coaching staff clean and starting over this past offseason, the Steelers elected to keep Tomlin around a while longer. With an aging core who already has an established relationship with their Super Bowl-winning head coach, this might be for the best. Tomlin may not be around much longer than the 2024 season, but we would have to assume that he has the best shot at leading this team to a championship in the near future.