Steelers run out of time to make Mike Tomlin contract decision originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are facing a contract deadline for Mike Tomlin.
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ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the news on Saturday: The Steelers have until March 1 to decide whether to opt in to the option year on Tomlin’s 2027 contract.
Regardless, Tomlin is under contract through 2026.
“There will be organizational meetings and decisions, but it won’t be until after the season is over before all parties involved can review the complete work,” Schefter wrote.
Schefter added that Tomlin’s job is safe in the short term.
“No one within the Steelers organization or the NFL thinks Pittsburgh will fire Tomlin; the organization has not fired a head coach since 1941,” Schefter wrote.
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It would be a bit unusual for the Steelers to decline Tomlin’s option. This will definitely create some tension.
“The options in Tomlin’s contract are the real litmus test,” Schefter wrote. “If the Steelers decline to accept Tomlin’s option, they would allow the head coach to enter the final year of his contract next season, which teams are typically unwilling to do.”
Tomlin has never had a losing season in his 18 seasons coaching the Steelers.
Now in its 19th year, the Steelers are 6-6 with five games remaining.
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Meanwhile, Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016.
The approach to this season could be the first step in determining Tomlin’s future in Pittsburgh.
