Tomlin tells Steelers he’ll be back as coach

Mike Tomlin plans to be back with the Steelers.

That’s what the Super Bowl-winning coach told his players Tuesday at a team meeting, during which he described rumors of him potentially leaving as unfounded, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

Tomlin just finished his 17th year as coach of the Steelers, who made the playoffs at 10-7 despite deploying three quarterbacks over the course of the season.

After the Bills eliminated the Steelers, 31-17, on Monday in the first round of the playoffs, a reporter began a question by referencing Tomlin had a year remaining on his contract. Tomlin responded by walking away from the podium and ending the press conference.

Tomlin has never finished a season with a losing record. He won the Super Bowl after the 2008 season, which was his second as head coach, and returned to the Super Bowl two years later. He is 173-100-2 in the regular season and 8-10 in the postseason, having last won a playoff game in 2016.

Steelers stars such as TJ Watt and Cameron Heyward voiced their support for Tomlin this week.

“I don’t want to play for anybody other than Mike T.,” Watt said Tuesday. “You guys understand and see in the way that I talk about how much I respect and appreciate him as a coach, as a man, as a leader. That’s my endorsement for him.”

The 51-year-old Tomlin is expected to address the media this week, according to Tuesday’s report.

An exit by Tomlin would add another big-name coach to a market in which Bill Belichick, Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll are seeking new jobs. Speculation continues to swirl about the futures of Mike McCarthy in Dallas and Nick Sirriani in Philadelphia after their teams’ first-round exits this week.