The Steelers broke with tradition by waiting until the final year of head coach Mike Tomlin’s contract before signing him to a three-year extension in 2021.
Pittsburgh had typically extended Tomlin’s contract with two years left on the deal and that’s where he finds himself heading into the 2023 season. Tomlin extended his run without a losing season to all 16 years he’s held the job with a 7-2 finish in 2022, but Steelers president Art Rooney II didn’t say whether an extension is on the table when he spoke to reporters Thursday.
“I don’t like to speculate on coach’s contract,” Rooney said, via Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “We’ll see.”
Rooney said “you should be your best team at the end of the season” and believes that was the case for the Steelers this season. He said he’s also “encouraged” by how Tomlin and the staff brought rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett along, but the contract question will remain an open one as the Steelers move into the offseason.