Steelers owner Art Rooney II has had enough.
The Steelers have been winning for years, but they haven’t won in the playoffs since 2016, and Looney acknowledged Monday that it’s starting to reach a tipping point.
Pittsburgh’s season came to an early end in the playoffs after a rocky 2023 season, when they lost to the Bills in the NFL wild-card round earlier this month.
“I’m tired of this,” Rooney said. According to ESPN. “It’s time to win. It’s time to take the next step.”
The Steelers have appeared in the postseason in four of the past seven years, losing in the wild card round in 2020, 2021 and 2023.
The club hasn’t won a Super Bowl since 2008 and last appeared in the “big game” since 2010.
“There’s definitely determination and determination there,” Rooney said. “And I think I’ve said it before, we’re all anxious to take this next step and we’re all a little bit impatient and I think we need to see the improvement that everyone wants to see. Masu. [Head coach Mike Tomlin] I strongly believe in that, as do everyone else in the building. ”
While Looney expressed confidence that Tomlin can do the job, the Steelers owner’s comments were more like a warning to the head coach.
Tomlin coached the Steelers for 17 seasons, compiling a 175-100-2 record.
There was speculation that Tomlin would resign from his role with the Steelers, but Tomlin further fueled the controversy by leaving the postgame press conference after a wild-card loss after a reporter asked him about his future in Pittsburgh. Instigated.
Shortly after, it became clear that Tomlin would be staying, and Rooney expressed confidence in Tomlin’s ability to lead next season.
“The players still answer the microphone, and that’s the best thing,” Rooney said. “He still has the key traits we saw when we hired him. He can grab the attention of a group of 20-year-olds all season long and keep them in contention all the way through.
“So, I still feel good about Mike. Obviously, if I didn’t do that, [we] We’re going to make changes, but if Mike didn’t think he could lead us to a championship, he wouldn’t be here, and that’s why he’s here. ”
Tomlin said in his year-end press conference that he expected a contract extension with the Steelers to be reached during the offseason.
Looney did not have an update on that on Monday.
