JUST IN; Steelers’ Mike Tomlin walks off podium when asked about his future with team following playoff loss to Bills

The 2023 season’s last postgame news conference with Mike Tomlin ended unexpectedly. When a question concerning his future was being addressed, the longtime coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers left the podium.

Tomlin, who was undoubtedly aware that the topic would be asked, had just finished his team’s season-ending 31-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Super Wild Card Weekend.

For weeks, there has been much discussion over Tomlin’s future. According to NBC Sports, he will reportedly talk to his family this summer about his future before deciding on the 2024 season and beyond.

After this season, Tomlin will decide if he wants to stay on as the Steelers’ coach. This offseason, Pittsburgh’s brass allegedly wants to extend his deal. According to a recent report, Tomlin might think about taking a short leave of absence from coaching following this season.

With the Patriots and Bill Belichick’s split, 51-year-old Tomlin is currently the NFL’s longest-tenured coach with just one franchise. Since 2007, Tomlin has led the Steelers as their head coach. The team has won seven division titles, two AFC titles, one Super Bowl, and eleven postseason appearances during his tenure in Pittsburgh. The longest run of winning seasons (17) for a first-time head coach in NFL history belongs Mike Tomlin.

For Tomlin and the Steelers, this season has been an odd one. After starting the season 7-4, they dropped three straight games and only managed to win their final three regular season games to secure a postseason berth. Prior to Pittsburgh’s recent winning streak, Tomlin made a crucial choice when he installed Mason Rudolph as the team’s starting quarterback. In response, Rudolph gave a career-best performance of football.

The Steelers would have to search for a new coach for just the fourth time since 1969 if Tomlin chooses to go. The only head coaches the Steelers have employed in the previous 55 years are Tomlin, Bill Cowher, and Chuck Noll. Noll and Cowher are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, an honor Tomlin will likely receive some time after his coaching career ends.