A day after not addressing his future with the media, Mike Tomlin reportedly told his players that outside talk about his possible departure was "unfounded" and that he plans to be the Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach in 2023.
Cam Heyward, who has played under Tomlin longer than any other current Steelers player, took exception to his coach's future being such a hot-button topic for the past two months. In short, Heyward feels that Tomlin deserves better.
"Why are we so concerned with somebody that has a year on their contract, has been locked in, and has just wanted to coach football?" Heyward said, via ESPN. "We don't ask anybody else if they need to come back for another year or anything else.
"I just think it's doing him a disservice. This guy's been locked in from the very get go, but yet we're worried about if he's coming back or not. He's been locked in, and I appreciate it, because that's only created more dissension for players and coaches. We only want to focus on one goal. He just wants to focus on one goal, and I just think that's fair to him."
Heyward did not feel it was appropriate that Tomlin was asked about his future mere moments after Pittsburgh's season ended in Buffalo on Super Wild Card Weekend.
"I just think, why would he answer a question like that?" he said. "He's worried about trying to win a playoff game, and then [Monday] night, we just lost a big playoff game, why does he need to address it then? It's not the time or the place.
"And I appreciate the question. But I just think, for him in general, Coach T's earned that to just being singularly focused on one goal. We've been asked this question week in and week out. It's just not fair to the process."
The situation is similar to two years ago, when Tomlin was asked about his possible interest in coaching at the college level. Tomlin clearly took issue with the question.
"I've got one of the best jobs in all of professional sports," Tomlin said at the time, via The Athletic. "Why would I have any interest in coaching college football? That will be the last time that I address it, not only today but moving forward. Never say never, but never. Anybody got any questions about any college jobs? There's not a booster with a big-enough blank check."
Tomlin added: "Anybody asking Sean Payton about that? Anybody asking Andy Reid about stuff like that?"
Tomlin had a point. Reid's future has never been a serious story. Payton's wasn't either, until he actually left New Orleans after the '21 season. Pete Carroll's job status wasn't a story, either, until Carroll's time in Seattle actually ended earlier this month.
There are tangible reasons why Tomlin's future is often a topic. He's already been a head coach for 17 years, an eternity in the NFL. It's logical to think that he may want to do something else.
Tomlin's contract also makes the topic a legitimate one. He's never entered a season as a lame-duck coach, but that might be the case next season if he and the Steelers don't agree to an extension.
There's also the notion that Tomlin may just want a fresh start somewhere else. His legacy in Pittsburgh is already secure; why not go somewhere else and build a new legacy?
While those are valid reasons, Heyward's point still rings true. Tomlin never publicly alluded to anything that would suggest him leaving after the 2023 season, so why was it such a story? It created an unneeded distraction to a Pittsburgh team that had enough actual problems to deal with. It's clear that Tomlin didn't appreciate the distraction.
Heyward said that there was no change in Tomlin this year. Tomlin's consistency, in both attitude and energy, are hallmarks of his coaching philosophy.
As far as the future is concerned, Heyward doesn't see Tomlin leaving Pittsburgh any time soon, or at least in the next year.
"My thought is he's gonna be the coach here," he said. "If anybody's thinking it should be anybody else, you're asking for a whole lot more than just that.
"Mike T wants to be a Pittsburgh Steeler, is a Pittsburgh Steeler. Why would anybody ask for anything else?"
