Understanding the decision to give Mike Tomlin a three-year contract extension — the longest he has received since his original deal — goes beyond what has happened at the end of the past four seasons. Or that the Steelers have won just three playoff games since their most recent Super Bowl appearance a decade ago — one of which was gifted to them by Vontaze Burfict and Adam Jones.
On paper, rewarding Tomlin with a new contract that puts him among the highest-paid coaches in the NFL makes sense. The Steelers are coming off a season in which they set a franchise record with an 11-0 start and won the AFC North title for the seventh time since Tomlin became head coach in 2007.
What’s more, his 145 regular season victories are third-most among active head coaches in the league and his .650 regular season winning percentage is second among active head coaches and 11th in NFL history.
“I think he deserves to stay as long as he wants,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said in a text message on Tuesday. “I think stability is huge and underrated in this game. He will go down as one of the greats.”
And that’s what the Steelers are seeking to accomplish with Tomlin’s new deal — stability.
According to multiple sources on and around the team, the decision to extend Tomlin through at least the 2024 season comes at a time when the franchise has an unsettled future.
It begins with Roethlisberger, who, from all appearances, is playing his final season with the Steelers. Even though he had one of the best seasons of his 17-year career, especially coming off major elbow surgery, it was a matter of much debate among Tomlin, general manager Kevin Colbert and owner Art Rooney II if they wanted Roethlisberger to come back in 2021. Barring an AFC championship game or Super Bowl appearance, it is unlikely there will even be a discussion in 2022.
Also, the Steelers are unsure how long Colbert, 64, will continue to stay on as general manager. Under an agreement with Rooney, he has been operating on one-year contracts for the past five years. Colbert recently signed another one-year deal that keeps him with the team through the 2022 draft, but there is no guarantee he will remain in his role after that.
Roethlisberger and Colbert have had as much to do with the Steelers’ success since 2004 as any other duo. Losing both, possibly at the same time, would represent a seismic shift for a franchise whose foundation has been built on stability. According to sources, the move to keep Tomlin for at least four more seasons helps ensure stability at a time when some semblance of continuity will likely be needed.
Tomlin’s latest deal keeps him “among the highest” salaried coaches in the league, according to a source, in the neighborhood of $9.5 million annually. Only four coaches are reported to make more — Bill Belichick ($12.5 million), Pete Carroll ($11 million) Jon Gruden ($10 million) and Sean Payton ($9.8 million).
Nonetheless, the decision to give Tomlin something more than a two-year extension, which has been the norm for him and even former coach Bill Cowher, is enough to raise a few eyebrows. Especially because of the way the Steelers have collapsed at the end of the past four seasons — missing the playoffs twice and being embarrassed in the postseason by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017 and the Cleveland Browns last season.
In theory, giving Tomlin a new deal is more about what he can do going forward during an unsettling period of transition. His record for stability — the Steelers have never had a losing season during his tenure — gives the team a chance to remain competitive once their Hall of Fame quarterback is gone and Colbert elects to step aside.
Giving him a deal that potentially ensures that is what is to be understood.
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and Twitter @gerrydulac.
First Published: April 20, 2021, 9:27 p.m.