One key Mike Tomlin detail makes clear that Steelers head coach isn't going anywhere

The 2024 NFL season looked all too familiar to Pittsburgh Steelers fans. The team got off to a hot start to gain early control of the AFC North, only to slump in December enough to play in the Wild Card Round on the road and proceed to get eliminated in blowout fashion by one of the AFC's top seeds.

The Steelers have now lost six straight playoff games, with their last win coming back in 2016 - nearly a decade ago. For a franchise with their rich history, Pittsburgh's postseason failures are simply unacceptable. With that in mind, Steelers fans want change. The most impactful way for Pittsburgh to make meaningful change would be to part with Mike Tomlin, their head coach who has been with the franchise for the last 18 years.

That, however, is easier said than done for several reasons. First, if the Steelers were to part with Tomlin, are we sure that his replacement would be any better? Tomlin, despite the recent lack of playoff success, has never had a losing season in nearly two decades. Plus, an argument can be made that Pittsburgh's main issue is roster-related, not Tomlin-related.

Second, if the Steelers were to part with him, they'd probably want to do that via trade, since he'd be hired immediately after becoming available. Well, Tomlin has a no-trade clause, so that severely impacts the likelihood of a trade happening.

As if that detail wasn't enough to make it obvious that Tomlin will be sticking around, his contract makes it even less likely that the Steelers would even think of moving on.

In an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Steelers Insider Gerry Dulac revealed just how much money Tomlin is making on his contract. That alone should be enough to confirm he's staying put.

"The Steelers have no plans to move on from Mike Tomlin," Dulac said. "Look, they gave him a three-year, $50 million extension in June, and they're not just gonna walk away from that."

Mike Tomlin's contract makes it clear he isn't going anywhere

Tomlin's extension, which is set to begin in 2025, is enough by itself to dismiss any rumor that has Pittsburgh firing their longtime head coach. They won't want to pay a head coach in addition to the money they already owe Tomlin, and it's hard to blame them for that. They could trade him, but how many teams would be willing to pay Tomlin what amounts to one of the richest contracts for a head coach in professional sports?

It's understandable that Steelers fans want to move on from Tomlin. At some point, the finger must be pointed in his direction for their postseason shortcomings when he's one of, if not the only constant in place. However, it just isn't going to happen.

The Steelers, understandably, won't want to pay another coach in addition to Tomlin. Other teams will presumably be scared off from his contract, and that isn't even taking into account his no-trade clause, so a trade is unrealistic. To top it all off, the Steelers would have to be convinced that there's an option available to them better than Tomlin. It'd be a really hard argument to make that anyone, especially an unestablished head coach, is better suited to roam the sidelines than Tomlin.

It sounds good, in theory, to let Tomlin go and shake things up in a big way after nearly a decade of only playoff failure, but it just isn't going to happen. It wasn't going to happen before the details of his contract were made public, and the contract itself makes it even tougher to envision Tomlin leaving Pittsburgh anytime soon.