Sarah Stier/Getty Images Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin during the game against the New York Giants on September 14, 2020.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is fast approaching retirement, as is longtime Steelers vice president and general manager Kevin Colbert. But it now seems a certainty that head coach Mike Tomlin will be around long after Roethlisberger and Colbert are gone.
On Tuesday the team announced that the Steelers have signed Tomlin to a three-year contract extension. Financial terms have not been disclosed.
“I am pleased to announce we have extended Mike Tomlin’s contract through the 2024 season,” said Steelers President Art Rooney II in a statement. “Mike is one of the most successful head coaches in the National Football League, and we are confident in his leadership to continue to lead our team as we work to win another championship.”
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“I am extremely grateful for this contract extension and want to thank Art Rooney II and everyone in the organization for the support in my first 14 seasons,” added Tomlin. “We have a goal of winning the organization’s seventh Super Bowl championship, and I couldn’t be more enthusiastic about this upcoming season.”
Mike Tomlin Will Attempt to Break an NFL Coaching Record in 2021
Tomlin, who was hired by the Steelers in January 2007, is entering his 15th season as the team’s head coach. He is currently the third-longest tenured head coach in the NFL.
Even more notably, in 2020 he tied the late Marty Schottenheimer as the only two head coaches in NFL history to have 14 consecutive non-losing seasons to begin their head coaching careers.
In 2021 he will also attempt to the lead the Steelers to the postseason for the tenth time, and win the AFC North division for the eighth time.
Tomlin is Pittsburgh’s Third Head Coach Since 1969
Tomlin, 49, is only the third Steelers head coach since the 1969 season, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Chuck Noll (1969-91) and the soon-to-be-enshrined Bill Cowher (Class of 2020), who coached the Steelers from 1992 to 2006.
Tomlin has a 145-78-1 (.650) regular season record, with the 145 regular season wins tied for 21st overall in NFL history and third-most among active NFL head coaches. In addition, his .650 regular season win percentage ranks second among active head coaches who have coached a minimum of 100 games.
He became the youngest head coach in NFL history to both coach in and win a Super Bowl (at age 36) when the Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals, 27-23, in Super Bowl XLIII. But he hasn’t led the Steelers back to the Super Bowl since losing Super Bowl XLV to the Green Bay Packers following the 2010 season.
Tomlin will be working in conjunction with Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert for at least one more year. Last month the organization inked Colbert to a one-year contract extension that keeps him with the team thru the 2022 NFL Draft. Colbert, 64, is entering his 22nd season with the team, having joined the Steelers in February 2000 as director of football operations. He is now in his 11th year as the club’s general manager. One former member of Pittsburgh’s front office has predicted that Colbert’s retirement will coincide with that of Ben Roethlisberger, who was signed to a new contract for the 2021 season in early March.
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