GeMike Tomlin allegedly informed his players that rumors circulating about his potential departure were “unfounded” and that he intends to take over as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023 after refusing to discuss his future with the media.

The only current Steelers player to have played under Tomlin for longer than Heyward is Cam Heyward, who took issue with the coach’s future being such a contentious issue over the previous two months. To put it succinctly, Heyward believes Tomlin deserves better.

“Why are we so worried about someone who just wanted to teach football, has a year left on their contract, and is locked in?” Heyward stated as much on ESPN. “We don’t inquire about the necessity for anyone else to return for an additional year or anything else.

“I just feel like it’s hurting him. Even though this individual has been imprisoned from the beginning, we’re nonetheless concerned about his potential return. I’m glad he’s been confined because it’s just made tensions between the coaches and players worse. One aim is all we want to concentrate on. It seems reasonable to me that he should be able to concentrate on only one objective.”

 

Heyward thought it was inappropriate to question Tomlin about his future just hours after Pittsburgh’s Super Wild Card Weekend in Buffalo came to a conclusion.

He added, “I just wonder why he would respond to a question like that.” “We just lost a crucial playoff game [Monday night], and he’s worried about trying to win a game; why does he need to address it then? The location or the time don’t matter.

“And thank you for asking. However, I believe that Coach T has generally earned it by having a laser-like focus on a single objective. This is the question that people ask us every single week. It’s simply unfair to the procedure.”

 

This is comparable to when Tomlin was questioned about his potential interest in becoming a college coach two years prior. Tomlin obviously objected to the question.

At the time, Tomlin stated, “I’ve got one of the nicest jobs in all of professional sports,” according to The Athletic. Why would I be interested in becoming a college football coach? That’s the last time I’ll talk about it, both now and in the future. Say it never, but really, never. Are there any inquiries regarding college employment? No booster has a large enough blank check.”

“Is anyone questioning Sean Payton about that?” Tomlin continued. Is anyone enquiring about such matters with Andy Reid?”

 

Tomlin made a valid argument. It has never been a serious story about Reid’s future. Until he actually left New Orleans after the 2021 season, Payton’s wasn’t either. Prior to Carroll’s actual departure from Seattle earlier this month, Pete Carroll’s employment situation was also unremarkable.

The reason Tomlin’s future is frequently discussed is concrete. In the NFL, 17 years is an eternity to be a head coach. It’s reasonable to assume that he might have other ideas.

The subject also becomes valid because of Tomlin’s contract. He has never started a season as a lame-duck coach, but if he and the Steelers can’t come to an agreement on an extension, that may happen the following one.

 

Additionally, it’s possible that Tomlin simply wants to start over somewhere else. Since his legacy in Pittsburgh is already assured, why not establish one elsewhere?

Even with those good justifications, Heyward’s criticism is still relevant. Why was it such a big deal since Tomlin never made any suggestion in public that he would leave after the 2023 season? It gave a Pittsburgh squad that already had enough real issues to contend with an unnecessary distraction. Tomlin was obviously not pleased with the diversion.

Heyward claimed that Tomlin had not changed this year. Tomlin’s coaching method is characterized by his unwavering consistency in both attitude and energy.

 

In terms of the future, Heyward believes Tomlin will remain in Pittsburgh for at least the upcoming season.

He said, “I think he’s going to be the coach here.” If someone believes that someone else should be the one to make the decision, then you’re asking for much more than that.

“Mike T is a Pittsburgh Steeler, and he aspires to be one. Why would someone want anything more at all?”