Steelers’ Mike Tomlin expects offseason extension\u060c<\/p>\n
Brooke Pryor, ESPN editorJanuary 18, 2024, 7:06 p.m.<\/span><\/p>\n PITTSBURGH \u2013 Mike Tomlin isn't going anywhere.<\/p>\n Days after leaving a postgame news conference during a question about his future, the Pittsburgh Steelers coach said his enthusiasm for the job has “intensified” and that he hopes get a contract extension this offseason.<\/p>\n \u201cI expect to be back, and I imagine these contractual things will run their course,\u201d Tomlin said during his end-of-season news conference Thursday. “Art [Rooney II] and I have a very good transparent relationship. We communicate continually and often. I don't imagine it's going to be a problem, and I imagine it will be done in a timely manner, at the appropriate time, but my mindset is to coach your football<\/a> team. \u00bb<\/p>\n Rooney later told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the team “plans to extend Mike's contract.”<\/p>\n Tomlin also explained his departure during the last question of the press conference after the loss to the Buffalo Bills and admitted that he didn't handle the situation well.<\/p>\n \u201cI definitely could have handled that situation better than I did,\u201d Tomlin said. \u201cBut I will also say this, I just believe that there is a time and a place for everything and that post-match press conferences are probably not the place to address contractual issues and other things of that nature .It's just a very individual thing, and on game day I doubt any of us will be in that mindset, certainly not.”<\/p>\n Tomlin signed a three-year contract extension in 2021, tying him to the team through the 2024 season. Outside speculation swirled at the end of the season that the coach might consider stepping aside for a year after the 2023 season, but Tomlin laughed and responded with a simple “no” when asked if he had told anyone he had considered taking a break.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand that speculation is part of what we do,\u201d Tomlin said. “I try not to get caught up in it or distracted by it, especially when it's not where I am. And so that's my mindset on it.”<\/p>\n Tomlin, who is about to enter his 18th season as Steelers head coach, said his process for evaluating his future at the end of each season hasn't changed.<\/p>\n \u201cI coach football, that\u2019s what I do,\u201d Tomlin said. “I respect the position that I hold. I have no sense of entitlement when it comes to what I do. I've just gained a high level of respect for what we all do in this space, and I try to earn it daily.\u201d and I think that's just my mentality.<\/p>\n “I don't think about a lot of things. I enjoy things on a daily basis and try to work in a hurry on a daily basis, and I don't know if that's changed. My point probably hasn't of sight. I'm always on the move.”<\/p>\n That “go” mentality and experience also leads him to believe he's still the right person to lead the Steelers, even though he hasn't won a playoff game since 2016.<\/p>\n\n