The Pittsburgh Steelers are not going to fire coach Mike Tomlin, but they do have a significant decision to make early next year.
After this season, Tomlin’s contract will have two years remaining on it — 2026 and a team option in 2027. But according to league sources, the Steelers must decide whether to pick up the option on Tomlin’s contract by March 1.
There will be organizational meetings and decisions that occur, but not until after this season is complete, with a full body of work for all appropriate parties to review, sources said.
Nobody in the Steelers organization nor around the NFL expects Pittsburgh to fire Tomlin; the organization hasn’t fired a head coach since 1941.
When the Steelers fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada in November 2023, it was the franchise’s first in-season coordinator change in 82 years. Pittsburgh rarely fires coaches, and never does so with coaches of Tomlin’s stature.
But the option in Tomlin’s contract is the real touchstone. If the Steelers decline to pick up Tomlin’s option, they would be allowing their head coach to enter the final year of his contract next season, which teams typically prefer not to do.
And if neither side has any commitment to the other beyond 2026, it would bring into a play a whole host of options.
There are and have been arguments on both sides. Tomlin’s critics point to the fact that the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. But Tomlin also has been an effective enough coach that he has never had a losing season during his 18 seasons in Pittsburgh. With the Steelers at 6-6, this has a chance to be the 19th straight season in that streak.
Some have suggested the Steelers should explore trading Tomlin after this season, but that would not be possible without his permission. Tomlin’s contract includes a no-trade clause, giving him the ability to block any move the Steelers could make.
So despite Steelers fans’ calls to fire Tomlin during last week’s loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Steelers aren’t considering that. His and their future is in Baltimore on Sunday, when the Steelers will be playing the Ravens for first place in the AFC North.
That is partly why the team isn’t even willing to consider any coaching options now. There are five regular-season games left, and Pittsburgh is focused on the task at hand, not what might or might not happen in the future.
Should Tomlin win Sunday, he would tie former Denver Broncos coach Dan Reeves for the 10th-most all-time regular-season wins with 190. Interestingly, Reeves once faced a situation not entirely dissimilar to Tomlin’s.
Former Broncos owner Pat Bowlen used to extend Reeves’ contract before he entered the final season. The one time he didn’t do it was entering the 1992 season, which turned out to be Reeves’ last in Denver. The two sides parted ways after that season.
But the Steelers and Tomlin are far from any decisions. They are more focused on getting this team back on the winning track, beating Baltimore and reclaiming first place in the AFC North.
Still, decisions are coming. To the displeasure of some Steelers fans who have let their feelings be known, there might not be a decision for Pittsburgh to make about Tomlin’s future at the end of this season. But they have a significant one to make one shortly thereafter.
