A peek into the future
There are changes in store, but Art Rooney II confirms that Tomlin won’t be one of them
Mike Tomlin made it clear during an instructive seasonending press conference he plans to be coaching the Steelers through another contract extension, will go outside the organization for the first time in 12 years to hire an offensive coordinator and said there will be a competition for the quarterback position in 2024, although he acknowledged Kenny Pickett will return as the starter.
In the most open, insightful and frank press conference he has delivered in 17 years, Tomlin even apologized for his postgame reaction in Buffalo when he walked out of a press conference after being asked a question about his contract status by a reporter.
“I certainly could have handled that situation better than I did,” Tomlin said. “But I’ll also say this, I just believe there’s a time and a place for everything, and postgame press conferences are probably not the place to address contract issues and things of that nature. It’s a very individual thing, and on game day, I doubt any of us are in that mindset.”
Tomlin, however, had little hesitation discussing his future on Thursday, saying he intends to return in 2024 — the final year of his contract — and expects a contract extension to be forthcoming. Tomlin typically receives a twoyear extension with two years remaining on his contract, but he wasn’t given one last offseason because his last extension was for three years.
After Tomlin’s press conference, Steelers president Art Rooney II told the Post-Gazette “we do plan to extend Mike’s contract,” as expected.
“Iwould imagine those contract things are going to run
their course,” Tomlin said. “Art and I have a really good, transparent relationship. We communicate continually often. I don’t imagine this is going to be an issue and I imagine it’s going to get done in a timely manner at the appropriate time. My mindset is to coach this football team.”
Tomlin said there will be changes to the coaching staff, though none bigger than hiring an offensive coordinator to replace Matt Canada.
Despite a resurgent offense the last four games with quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan calling the plays, Tomlin said the Steelers will go outside the organization for only the second time in 25 years to hire an offensive coordinator. And he said he wants someone who has previous NFL experience in that role.
The previous two offensive coordinators he hired — Canada and Randy Fichtner — were promoted from within and had never been in charge of an NFL offense before.
The last offensive coordinator to be hired from the outside was Todd Haley in 2012. Prior to Haley, it had been 13 years since the Steelers hired an offensive coordinator from outside the organization.
“I want us to be versatile and dynamic,” Tomlin said. “Obviously, we got to score more points. I want to be able to keep defenses off balance. I want to utilize all the talent we have at our disposal. I’m excited about this process and the talent pool out there, based on what I’ve seen so far.”
The next decision will be determining which quarterback will run that offense.
Pickett will come to training camp as the No. 1 quarterback, but Tomlin indicated there will be competition after the way Mason Rudolph performed in the final four games, when he was 3-1 and rejuvenated the offense.
“There will be competition — there’s always competition in this thing,” Tomlin said. “We don’t anoint anyone. I’m appreciative of (Pickett’s) efforts and where he is and excited about continuing to work with him. But certainly he will challenged from a competition perspective moving forward. Competition brings out the best in all of us.”
But before there can be a competition, the Steelers have to re-sign Rudolph, who is an unrestricted free agent. After watching the way Rudolph performed in the final four games, Tomlin said the team wants to bring him back for at least one more season.
“We have an interest in doing business with him,” Tomlin said.
In all likelihood, the Steelers will release Mitch Trubisky, who has two years remaining on his contract, and use the $11.5 million they will save to re-sign Rudolph. That is, if Rudolphwants to come back.
“I don’t think any of us can deny what we’ve seen over the last month or so,” Tomlin said. “We’re less speculative about his capabilities because there’s evidence of it, evidence of it in tough circumstances.”
Pickett, who is 14-10 as a starter, did not play the final four games, including the 3117 playoff loss in Buffalo, after having surgery on an injured ankle. But even when he was deemed healthy to play the final two games, Tomlin stayed with Rudolph after the Steelers scored at least 30 points in back-to-back games for the first time in four years.
The former No. 1 draft choice is expected to get one more season to prove he is the long-term solution at quarterback before the Steelers might consider other options.
“Certainly it’s a big year for him,” said Tomlin, who met with Pickett on Thursday morning. “It is a huge year for him.”
The Steelers have made the postseason in four of the previous six seasons but have lost five consecutive playoff games since their last postseason win in 2016. The sevenyear drought is the longest the Steelers have ever gone between playoff victories.
Tomlin has promised changes during the offseason, but it won’t be to his position.
“I’m not job scared,” Tomlin said. “I’m not lacking confidence in my ability to do the job. Then he added, “Certainly there needs to be changes. We can’t do the same things and expect a different result.”