Once upon a time, Mike Tomlin was a young coach who led the Pittsburgh Steelers to some extreme success early on. By the end of his fourth year, the club had already won a Super Bowl and reached another one.
Since then, however, the best outcome for the organization is a trip to the AFC championship game in 2016-17. Patience is running thin for many fans, leading to a seemingly nonstop conversation about Tomlin’s future.
One former player under Tomlin is weighing in with his insight. On a July 18 episode of ESPN’s “Get Up,” Pro Bowl safety Ryan Clark provided a significant update on Tomlin’s job security. It’s a good one, depending on which side you’re on.
Clark: Tomlin Has ‘Enough Equity’ to Stay With Steelers Long-Term
Clark spoke with someone in the Steelers organization. According to his source, Tomlin can stick around as long as he wants to.
“I got the text message that, ‘I agree with everything you said, but the only place for Mike Tomlin to coach is in the Pittsburgh Steelers organization,’” Clark said. “That means he’s built up enough equity. He’s had enough deposits into the emotional bank accounts of the people in that building that I believe Mike Tomlin’s going to be there as long as Mike Tomlin wants to be there.”
A massive amount of job security makes sense. After all, Tomlin still doesn’t have any losing seasons on his record. At worst, he’s fielded .500 teams back when the regular-season schedule was 16 games. It isn’t like there’s a complete absence of postseason wins, either.
After piling up seven of them in years one through four, Tomlin has 12 in 14 seasons. It’s the lack of deep playoff runs that has fans frustrated. Being good enough to win, but not good enough to win when it matters, is a harsh reality. It’s also more of a team commentary than a head coaching one. If Pittsburgh parted ways with Tomlin and kept their roster-building strategy the same, what available coach would possibly win more?
Clark Believes Constant Evaluation Process Makes Sense
Clark didn’t stop there. Having played for Tomlin from 2006 to 2013, he’s seen the head coach when his team is thriving. He was around for the Super Bowl-winning 2008 campaign and the conference champion team two years later. Clark is fully bought into the idea of Tomlin sticking around as long as his heart desires.
That last point must be considered, though. According to Clark, it makes the most sense for both Tomlin and the Steelers to go back to the table frequently and decide whether continuing their partnership is the best idea.
“I’ve said multiple times on this show and other shows that I don’t believe Mike Tomlin should be fired,” Clark said. “I do believe they should start having conversations year after year if this is the best marriage for both parties. If Mike Tomlin as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers is what he wants and what the organization wants, and they think [is] the best thing for both of them moving forward. I’ve been on record saying Mike Tomlin needs an Andy Reid run somewhere else – preferably somewhere where the quarterback won’t always be the third-best quarterback in the division.”
A world without Tomlin on the Steelers staff seems hard to envision. Pittsburgh is all he’s known for almost two decades now. But Reid lasted 14 years with the Philadelphia Eagles before joining the Kansas City Chiefs. That ultimately panned out, as Reid found his superstar quarterback and is now a multi-time Super Bowl winner.
Is there a path for Tomlin to do the same? Perhaps, but it isn’t the most likely outcome.
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