National Football League

Steelers reward Mike Tomlin for consistency, but can he make another title run?

Published Apr. 21, 2021 10:34 a.m. ET

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Although the sun is setting on Ben Roethlisberger’s NFL career, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has no plans of following him out of Pittsburgh.

Tomlin on Tuesday signed a three-year contract extension with the Steelers, keeping him at the helm of the NFL's seventh-oldest franchise through the 2024 season. 

"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," Tomlin said in a statement. "We have a goal of winning the organization's seventh Super Bowl championship, and I couldn't be more enthusiastic about this upcoming season."

The 2021 season was supposed to be a contract year for the 49-year-old head coach, but the Steelers – who have hired just three head coaches since 1969 – had no plans of conducting a search. Tomlin’s tenure as head coach will continue for at least four more seasons, as the Rooney family upheld its tradition of coaching stability.

Tomlin’s extension likely means he will usher in the Steelers’ quarterback of the future, despite his never having coached without Roethlisberger on his roster. But as he enters his 15th season with Pittsburgh, Tomlin has given the franchise every reason to believe he’s capable of leading the team to new heights.

Following six seasons as a collegiate assistant and six more as an NFL assistant, Tomlin received his first head-coaching offer from the Steelers in 2007. Since then, his 145-78-1 record in 14 seasons has led to nine playoff appearances and two trips to the Super Bowl. A victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII made Tomlin the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl, at just 36 years old. And by going 12-4 in 2020, Tomlin became the first NFL coach to start his career with 14 straight non-losing seasons.

The Steelers’ postseason success has curtailed of late, however. With a 3-6 playoff record since 2011, the franchise has advanced past the divisional round just once (2016). Tomlin has taken his team to the playoffs in two of the past four campaigns, and they were bounced by the Cleveland Browns in the wild-card round last season.

The Steelers seem to believe that Tomlin's overall success will continue, even if Roethlisberger isn't around for all of it. The experts, for the most part, seem to agree.

FOX Sports host Colin Cowherd offered high praise for Tomlin on Tuesday. All successful coaches, according to Cowherd, have one unique trait that wins over the trust of players and allows them to rebound from a tough loss.

"For Pete Carroll, it’s his energy. Sean Payton, his intensity — it’s like nobody else. Bill Walsh, Bill Belichick, it’s this sort of academic lane, you always felt like they were smarter than everybody they coached against. Andy Reid, it’s creativity. And Mike Tomlin? It’s a presence."

FOX Sports analyst Brandon Marshall had a slightly different thought. Marshall seems to trust Tomlin at the helm, at least to a certain extent. But he does not trust Roethlisberger to lead the offense, which is why he says the Steelers are a ways away from another Super Bowl.

The opinion of this 13-year NFL veteran and six-time Pro Bowl selection should mean something. After all, he was born in Pittsburgh.

"I do expect them to be a really good team because they have a defense that is phenomenal," Marshall said. "But I don’t think they’ll be a contender because that offense has an identity crisis."

Marshall’s "First Things First" co-host, Nick Wright, didn’t see the same short-term obstacles. In fact, he said the Steelers’ strong defense is a reason to believe the team could make a deep run in 2021, much like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did this past season. Wright challenged Marshall to see the same in Pittsburgh’s defense.

"Brandon, I’ve got a question for you," Wright said, knowing the answer. "What’s the biggest reason the Bucs won the Super Bowl and went on the run they went on in the postseason?"

Much like Cowherd, Stephen A. Smith expressed immense support for the decision, reminding fans that "in 14 years as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season."

Smith also pointed out another trend in NFL coaching searches, one that should leave Steelers fans thrilled with their head coach, who has a proven track record of success.

"We also have to take into consideration the plethora of individuals who are getting jobs they didn’t deserve," Smith said. "You look around the National Football League, and there’s a whole bunch of coaches with far more suspect résumés that have jobs."

Tomlin and Roethlisberger have helped mold the Steelers into a modern-day NFL force. For nearly 15 years, they have frequently punched tickets to the playoffs, establishing themselves as one of the most successful head coach-quarterback duos of the previous decade.

But before we measure their legacy, before anyone maps out the franchise’s future without Big Ben, there’s one question left for Tomlin to answer.

Is he capable of coaching Roethlisberger to one more ring?

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