The Pittsburgh Steelers are again on pace to finish above .500, which would make it 19 straight seasons for head coach Mike Tomlin without a losing record.
Pittsburgh is also currently positioned to earn a playoff berth in the AFC, which is precisely the reason the team bet on 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers who has said publicly already that 2025 is going to be his last year in the NFL.
Some of the Steelers’ top defenders — like defensive tackle Cam Heyward (36) and edge rusher T.J. Watt (31) — are already on the wrong side of 30. And when the bottom falls out of the QB position next offseason and the Steelers consider the rebuild that so many league analysts have already predicted will begin next spring, it is fair to question what Tomlin might want to do with his future.
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Bryan Fischer of SI linked Tomlin to the head-coaching position with the Penn State Nittany Lions following the university’s decision to part ways with James Franklin mid-season.
“It's been nine seasons since Tomlin won a playoff game and even longer since that lone Super Bowl title,” Fischer wrote. “The Steelers franchise values continuity, but there's been increasing talk in recent years about a mutual separation if those trends continue. While Tomlin could likely walk into any broadcast booth in the country and would have other NFL teams fighting for his services, his style would resonate well in college and could be worth at least checking in on to take a big swing if you're Penn State.”
Other names, such as Matt Rhule of Nebraska and Lane Kiffin of Ole Miss might make more sense. But if Tomlin wanted to try his hand at the collegiate level, it is hard to imagine that Penn State wouldn’t want to at least listen.
The 53-year-old Tomlin has a 187-109 record in the regular season as an NFL head coach and 8-11 in the playoffs. He won a Super Bowl with Pittsburgh in 2008, his second year with the franchise, and got back to the sport’s biggest stage in 2010 as AFC champions.
The Steelers have made the playoffs a total of 12 times under Tomlin’s watch, and can make it 13 postseason appearances in 19 years by earning their way back next January.
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