Pittsburgh — As ‘Black Monday’ draws to a close, one intriguing development from the coaching news across the league concerns the Pittsburgh Steelers as they get ready to play the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
Head coach Mike Tomlin’s name was floated as a potential candidate for firing following the season, with names like Ron Rivera and Arthur Smith. The Steelers won’t dismiss Tomlin, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter on NFL Countdown, but the coach may “take some time off” before thinking about joining another club.
The Washington Commanders and the Los Angeles Chargers were the two teams Schefter named.
“The interesting thing is that they aren’t firing Mike Tomlin. Mike Tomlin still has a year left on his deal, and some in the NFL think he might ultimately decide to take a hiatus similar to what Sean Payton did, according to Schefter. Maybe take a year off, we’ll see whether he’s thinking about that. However, Mike Tomlin—not the Pittsburgh Steelers—gets to decide what transpires in this situation.
“They won’t let him go. He intends to stay. If he so chooses, he will remain, nevertheless. That’s a whole other topic if he chooses to start walking. He’s from Washington, and his wife adores Los Angeles, so perhaps there’s a team out there that would be interested in reaching out to the Steelers to see if they could work something out with him.”
The opinion was echoed by NFL insider Jay Glazer, who said Tomlin would have the final say over whether or not to rejoin the team for the upcoming campaign.
If they were going to grant Tomlin an extension, this spring would be the time to discuss a new contract because it is scheduled to expire during the next offseason. Although President Art Rooney II stated in July that he expected a new contract to be reached, the situation will now be watched closely when the Steelers’ postseason run is over, according to two insiders who advised being ready for anything.
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