Mike Tomlin was ready for contract questions this time.
Three days after he stormed out of a press conference following the Steelers’ playoff loss to the Bills upon hearing a question about his contract status, Tomlin explained why he walked out while confirming he expects to coach the team in 2024.
“In a little better mood today. Anybody got any contract questions?” Tomlin joked to begin his Thursday news conference. “I’ll say this, I certainly could’ve handled that situation better than I did, but I’ll also say this, I just believe there’s a time and place for everything, and postgame press conferences are probably not the place to address contract issues and things of that nature. It’s just a very individual thing, and on game day I doubt any of us are in that mindset. Certainly, I am not.”
There had been speculation in recent weeks about whether Tomlin, who has one year left on his contract, would return to the Steelers, whom he has coached since 2007.
The 51-year-old, who led the Steelers to a Super Bowl win in just his second season, says he has a transparent relationship with owner Art Rooney II and expects a contract extension to get done.
“I don’t imagine it’s gonna be an issue and I imagine it’s gonna get done in a timely manner at the appropriate time,” Tomlin said. “But my mindset is to coach this football team, certainly.”
Tomlin added that he’s not worried about when the extension gets hammered out, but he’s looking forward to not getting asked about it anymore.
“Fielding less questions from you guys regarding those things is a component of it,” he said. “But that’s probably the only level of importance for me, to be quite honest with you. Security is cool, but it’s not a top priority for me. I’ve seen a lot. I’m not job-scared, but it does provide less questions and things of that nature, certainly.”
The Steelers have been consistently competitive under Tomlin, never finishing below .500 in any of his 17 seasons, which has included seven division titles and 11 playoff appearances.
However, Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game since they reached the AFC Championship game seven years ago.