NFL

Steelers to Give Mike Tomlin a Raise

Posted Feb 14, 2009 11:00AM By Ryan Wilson (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Steelers, AFC North, NFL Fans, NFL Coaching, NFL

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Mike Tomlin is 36, just finished his second season as an NFL head coach, and all he's done is amass a 22-10 record and bring Pittsburgh its sixth Super Bowl championship, all while blazing a trail for young potential head coaching candidates who might be short on experience but long on leadership.

And the good news keeps on coming. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Tomlin's employer, are in the process of giving him a raise, even though he's only two years into a four-year deal. In general, the organization has a rule about new contracts: they're only re-worked in their last year. Perhaps that only applies to players, or maybe Dan Rooney is willing to make an exception in this case. Whatever, I don't imagine anybody thinks it's a bad idea.
[Tomlin's] average salary of $2.5 million per year was typical of what first-time NFL head coaches received. That amount could double in his next contract, according to agents who have knowledge of NFL coaching contracts.

One noted that Carolina coach John Fox makes in the neighborhood of $5 million to $6 million and while one of his teams reached a Super Bowl, the Panthers did not win it. The Cleveland Browns signed now-departed coach Romeo Crennel to a two-year contract extension that averaged more than $4 million one year ago, when he had two years left on his first contract. Crennel's teams never made the playoffs.
Two years ago, rumor had it that part of the reason Bill Cowher resigned was because he wanted $8 million a year. No idea how much truth there is to that -- he certainly could've gotten that from any number of teams that tried to hire him since -- but either way, Tomlin proved to be a bargain -- even if he makes John Fox money starting next season.

Of course, a year ago, the Browns re-upped Romeo Crennel and nobody blinked an eye. Six months and four wins later, Eric Mangini is the new coach in Cleveland. In the NFL, fortunes change quickly. Just ask Mike Martz.

Tags: Bill+Cowher, BillCowher, Dan+Rooney, DanRooney, Eric+Mangini, EricMangini, mike+martz, Mike+Tomlin, MikeMartz, MikeTomlin, Romeo+Crennel, RomeoCrennel

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