The Pittsburgh Steelers have finalized a three-year extension with their head coach Mike Tomlin. With this extension, Tomlin extends his reign as the longest-tenured Black head coach in the National Football League. Among all NFL coaches, only Bill Belichick and Sean Payton have coached their respective teams longer than Tomlin has coached his.
Tomlin is one of the most successful head coaches in Pittsburgh's storied history. The Hampton, Virginia native has never had a losing season and an overall record of 153-86-1. His career winning percentage of .640 is the highest of any head coach in the team's history. Adding on, the distinguished man of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. has also led the team to two Super Bowls in his 15-year run.
Tomlin and the Steelers are coming off of a season that started with a promising 11-0 record. Unfortunately, the team lost four of their last five games and fell to the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the playoffs. Coming off of a playoff loss, the Steelers will look to an improved defense and increased production from wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster in the 2021-2022 season. The team's biggest question mark this season is their two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Ben Rothlisberger. Throughout the course of his career, Rothlisberger has endured several injuries. At 39 years old, he is entering the final stages of his career.
The next big step in Tomlin's future hall of fame career is the 2021 NFL Draft. With their first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Steelers are expected to take University of Georgia Cornerback Eric Stokes. The franchise will also look to address their backfield, secondary and possibly find a future franchise quarterback in the later rounds. Tomlin and the Steelers will go on the clock beginning April 29.
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