Mike Tomlin's future in the Steelers organization seems pretty solidified, and he'll be faced with fixing some of the issues that plagued Pittsburgh this season.
One of those big issues will be finding new personnel to run the offense after Matt Canada was fired midseason.
Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan took over the job after Canada was fired, but Tomlin told reporters Thursday that he plans to leave the organization to find the Steelers' next offensive coordinator. That's what he said.
“We want to be versatile and dynamic,” Tomlin said. I want to make sure I don't lose the balance of the defense. We want to utilize all the talent we have. I'm excited about this process and the talent pool that exists. ”
Despite making the playoffs and Tomlin extending his streak of undefeated seasons to 17, the Steelers' offense in 2023 was far from great.
His 17.8 points per game during the regular season was 28th in the NFL.
He told reporters that the position will be taken over by someone who has already held the position.
Tomlin will not only have to figure out finding the right offensive coordinator, but he'll also have to make decisions with his quarterback.
Tomlin has already apparently decided that Kenny Pickett will resume the starter's role in 2024, but added that the Steelers are “not naming anyone” and there will be “competition.”
Pickett didn't necessarily sweep the starter's spot, and Mason Rudolph started late in the season and was a consistent performer.
Tomlin said of Rudolph, “Forget about performance guys, I can't stress enough how great it is to be ready, but he was.” “And now that that readiness has been shown, certainly we're speculating less about his ability because there's evidence of it and there's evidence of it in tough situations.”
Tomlin said he hopes to have Rudolph back next season.
There has been speculation about Tomlin's future since the Steelers lost to the Bills in the AFC Wild Card Round on Monday.
He stormed out of the postgame press conference after the loss, further fueling speculation that he would return for the 2024 season even before reports emerged earlier this week that he would return for the 2024 season.
Tomlin apologized for responding to questions during a press conference Thursday and told reporters he expected an extension to be reached during the offseason.
