Mike Tomlin erased any doubts he could follow in the footsteps of Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher when he led the Steelers to a Super Bowl victory in his second year. Now, Pittsburgh has reportedly rewarded the coach with a three-year contract extension, despite missing the playoffs in 2009.
The Steelers have agreed to a three-year extension with Tomlin, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Tuesday. The newspaper reported that financial terms were not known.
The Post-Gazette reported that Steelers president Art Rooney, who negotiated Tomlin's extension, is on vacation and could not be reached for comment.
Tomlin's current contract, which averaged $2.5 million annually, had one season and an option year remaining.
In 2009, the Steelers finished 9-7, losing five in a row and missing the playoffs a season after winning the Super Bowl -- the first champion to miss out on the following postseason since the Steelers themselves in 2006.
The Steelers have had just three coaches in the last 41
years: Noll (23 seasons and four Super Bowl victories), Cowher (15 seasons and one Super Bowl win) and Tomlin (three and one).
The 38-year-old Tomlin has a 31-17 record in three seasons as the Steelers' coach.