Mike Tomlin was in no mood to talk about his future after Pittsburgh's playoff loss on Monday.
The Pittsburgh Steelers head coach refused to talk about his contract in the post-game press conference. In fact, he left the podium as soon as the topic came up. When ESPN's Brooke Pryor responded to the question, "Mike, you have one year left on your contract," Tomlin replied:
And that's it. Pryor was unable to ask her question and the press conference ended.
Tomlin's strike came after Pittsburgh lost to the Buffalo Bills 31-17 in a wild card game. The loss ended the Steelers' season as their 10-7 regular season campaign saw them earn the AFC's final playoff spot.
Tomlin's future with the Steelers was the subject of intense speculation throughout the season. With the Steelers 7-7 and a good chance of making the playoffs with three weeks left in the regular season, there were grumblings that Tomlin would not keep his job. When Pittsburgh made the playoffs with three straight wins, the conversation shifted to Tomlin being the one considering ending his tenure with the Steelers.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported last week that Tomlin plans to take a step back and make a decision about his future with the Steelers after speaking with his family. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that people in the NFL believe Tomlin is considering moving on.According to the report, the Steelers want Tomlin to return.
The fact that Tomlin is entering the final season of his contract for the first time in his career adds fuel to the speculative fire. The Steelers reportedly want to extend him again by putting the ball in their own endzone.
He didn't want to deal with his future on the heels of a playoff loss, Pittsburgh's fifth straight defeat. The Steelers' last playoff win came in the divisional round against the Kansas City Chiefs after the 2016 season.
Tomlin completed his 17th season with the Steelers, the longest tenured head coach in the NFL since Bill Belichick left the New England Patriots. At some point this summer he will talk about his future with the team.But that point was not Monday night.
