The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered an ugly loss to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC wild card round, and head coach Mike Tomlin wasn't keen on sticking around too long after the disappointing defeat.
Following the 31-17 loss to the Bills, Tomlin was in his postgame press conference when the PR team asked for any additional questions. A reporter asked about Tomlin having one year left on his deal, but the Steelers head coach decided that he was done answering questions, abruptly storming out of the media availability.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport provided a video of the exchange via X.
?Mike, you have a year left on your contract??
Mike Tomlin: ? ?? pic.twitter.com/ouAncRXTzy
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 16, 2024
Despite uncertainty all year at the quarterback position, Tomlin managed to get the Steelers back into the playoffs with a 10-7 record. As the head coach of the Steelers, the 51-year-old has never had a losing record with the team, and was somehow able to keep that streak alive with a questionable playoff team out of the AFC.
Despite the playoff appearance, the Steelers were in big trouble heading into Monday's game in Buffalo. Superstar pass-rusher T.J. Watt was ruled inactive for the game after suffering a knee injury in the season finale against the Baltimore Ravens. Without the potential Defensive Player of the Year, the Steelers simply didn't have enough defensive firepower to go toe-to-toe with Josh Allen and the Bills offense.
Tomlin's future is now up in the air with Pittsburgh. Despite being one of the longest tenured head coaches in the NFL with a Super Bowl title under his belt, the Steelers haven't had enough postseason success in recent years. The team could be heading in a new direction this offseason, especially with the future of the quarterback position uncertain in the post-Ben Roethlisberger era.
With so many coaching changes around the league, all eyes will be on the Steelers to see if they move on from Tomlin.
