Will Mike Tomlin retire in 2024? Exploring 3 pro and cons of Steelers HC's coaching status in Pittsburgh
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers ended their season with a Wild Card round playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills. He has been the head coach of the franchise for 17 seasons and never had a losing season. After Bill Belichick's dismissal by the New England Patriots, he is now the longest tenured coach in the league.
But there have been reports of him considering retirement. One can understand why he might be contemplating it. This has been a hard season for the Steelers and they have had to go through three different quarterbacks. At the same time, there is a part of the fanbase that wants him fired because they feel they are settling for mediocrity with him. Their last Super Bowl was in the 2008 season, right towards to the beginning of Mike Tomlin's tenure.
If he retires, there are good reasons for doing so. On the other hand, there is a good rationale for him to stay put as well. Here we take a look at the pros and cons of Mike Tomlin staying put as the Pittsburgh head coach.
Mike Tomlin has reasons to seriously consider retirement
#3 - Show his worth to the part of the fanbase that wants him gone
No coach has 17 winning seasons in a league built for parity by being a mediocre coach. Mike Tomlin is an excellent leader and yet he is under constant pressure. Despite him having to navigate from one quarterback to other ever since Ben Roethlisberger starter declining, he has held his own.
By retiring right now, he would give the toxic part of the fanbase what they want and they will experience firsthand what it means not to have him on the sidelines. They have been spoilt throughout as the most successful franchise in the Super Bowl era and they might get some perspective once he is gone.
#2 - His excellence is hindering the Steelers from rebuilding
Just recently, Pete Carroll was moved on from his head coaching position by the Seattle Seahawks. The parallels with Mike Tomlin is striking. He also had to deal with their franchise quarterback, Russell Wilson, moving on and being replaced by Geno Smith. Despite that he took them to the playoffs last year and finished with a winning record this season. However, what that did is that it dropped the Seahawks to the middle of the 2024 NFL Draft, making it impossible for them to draft a top quarterback.
The position is similar for the Steelers head coach who has had to deal with Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph this season, none of whom are elite. His consistent winning record means that Pittsburgh will not pick towards the top of draft and therefore cannot get someone like Caleb Williams or Drake Maye. Therefore, the Steelers might perversely need a coach who loses more so that they can rebuild.
#1 - Preserve his record while he is ahead
Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season. It is a record that has become his calling card. But nothing remains forever. He needs to see whether he wants to go again to preserve it. He has seen Bill Belichick being fired by the New England Patriots after the winningest head coach in NFL history refused to move on when Tom Brady retired. It has called his entire career into question.
The Pittsburgh coach might want to avoid such a fate and call a time on his career while ahead.
Staying as the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach has benefits
#3 - He is a fantastic ambassador for the league
The NFL has a diversity problem. Despite the majority of the players in the league being black, there were only three African-American head coaches (out of 32): Todd Bowles, DeMeco Ryans and, of course, Mike Tomlin. All three of them made it to the playoffs this season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were the franchise behind the Rooney Rule that says every head coaching vacancy must involved an interview with a minority candidate. Mike Tomlin has showed the way to the NFL for many of the current crop of coaches coming along today. His loss would hit the sould of the league.
#2 - Have a season at least as the longest-tenured coach in the league
After Bill Belichick's dismissal, Mike Tomlin is now the longest tenured head coach in the league. If he were to retire now, he would have a very short tenure holding that rank. One assumes that he would like to savor his position as the senior-most manager in the league for one more season.
Getting to prowl the sidelines as the eldest statesman in the league will be some achievement.
#1 - Win another Super Bowl
One can win a Super Bowl by fluke but two cements your legacy. Given how good Mike Tomlin has been with average teams, he might want to cement his reputation with another championship; He could choose to target players like Kirk Cousins, who is a free agent at the end of this season, and make a deep playoff run. It certainly worked with both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Los Angeles Rams, when they got Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford, respectively.
The Steelers head coach could make a demand to the management to get him an elite quarterback and build a team around him. If he can lift the Lombardi Trophy again, it would be the best way to shut the haters.