Mike Tomlin not prepared to give status of Matt Canada, other coaches

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 season came to a screeching halt on Sunday, even after their 28-14 win over the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers were hoping to get the help necessary to keep their playoff hopes alive, but once the Miami Dolphins beat the New York Jets it equated to the end of the season.

Now, instead of preparing for a Wild Card game in the AFC Playoffs, the Steelers are talking about end-of-season procedures.

Mike Tomlin spoke with the media to wrap up the season Monday, and he spoke about how he is going to hold a meeting with team around 2 p.m. ET, and deal with many of the end of the year things which happen once the season has ended. He also spoke about how he has yet to have exit interviews with the players, and the players have yet to have their exit physicals before players jettison away from the facility to rest and recover following the 17-game slate of games which just concluded.

But that wasn’t what most fans wanted to know, and one of the first questions Tomlin was asked to start his press conference was about Matt Canada. In other words, was Tomlin expected to bring back the coordinator?

Anyone who has watched Tomlin speak in a press conference situation knows, the long-time Steelers coach wasn’t about to provide any type of concrete answer to this query. Tomlin instead said Canada improved as the offense improved, but he “isn’t there” when talking about judging Canada and making a decision on his future with the organization.

Naturally, Tomlin was asked about a rumor which had circulated about how the organization will lean on Kenny Pickett, and his thoughts on Canada, before making a final decision. Tomlin wouldn’t bite, and said the way they do business will stay in-house and will never be shared in a press conference setting.

If you are a fan who was hoping to hear Tomlin say the team was moving on from Canada as play caller the day after the season ended, I’m sorry this isn’t the news you wanted to hear. Instead, the Steelers will take their time with all decisions, not just with Matt Canada and his future as the team’s offensive coordinator.

Tomlin was later asked if any coach had decided to retire or was being let go, and Tomlin said he did get a request for Brian Flores from an NFL team for an opening for defensive coordinator. He wouldn’t go into which team requested to interview Flores, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter announced via Twitter the team who requested it was the Cleveland Browns.

Needless to say, there will be plenty of news coming throughout the coming days and weeks, so be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the team as they press on throughout what could be a very lengthy offseason.

For a full rundown of Mike Tomlin’s time with the media, check out BTSC’s Press Conference Recap podcast below: