Photo: Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to keep head coach Mike Tomlin following their blowout loss to the rival Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Wild Card Round Saturday (January 11) night, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Tomlin, 52, the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL, is signed through the 2027 season after agreeing to a three-year extension last June, but is coming off his sixth consecutive playoff loss on Saturday, which was the Steelers' eighth one-and-done in the postseason during his 18 seasons with the franchise.
“I’m just assessing what transpired tonight,” Tomlin said during his postgame press conference via ESPN's Brooke Pryor. “Those are my bags, not [the team’s] bags. The journey that we were on certainly came to a disappointing end tonight.”
Tomlin was hired by the Steelers ahead of the 2007 season and has gone 183-107-2, which includes a winning record in all 18 seasons, as well as an 8-11 record in the postseason. The Virginia native led Pittsburgh to a victory in Super Bowl XLIII during his second season, becoming the youngest coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl at the time, as well as another appearance two years later.
Several NFL pundits, however, have called on the Steelers to pursue a trade involving Tomlin, including FOX Sports analyst and Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson suggesting a potential swap with the Dallas Cowboys for head coach and Pittsburgh native Mike McCarthy. The Steelers also face uncertainty at the quarterback position with both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields set to become free agents this offseason.
“I’m not ready to take a big-picture approach,” Tomlin said during his postgame press conference via the New York Post. “You know, I’m really assessing what happened today, and I’m certainly appreciative of the efforts tonight, but I can say that largely for the entire season. They’re two quality people, three quality people at the quarterback position, and really appreciate what they poured into this.”