I don’t know if you were hoping for Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin to be fired just ahead of his 18th minicamp and training camp, but you sure loved to talk about the possibility…a lot.

Unfortunately, that dream was shattered on Monday afternoon when it was announced, by the team itself, that Tomlin had agreed to a three-year contract extension that will keep him in Pittsburgh through the 2027 campaign.

Tomlin, with the 100-73-2 career mark and zero losing seasons, is currently the second-longest tenured head coach in franchise history, and this deal will put him on the doorstep of Chuck Noll’s 23 seasons.

What’s left to do now if you’re a Tomlin detractor? It seemed like a dream scenario that he’d possibly be on the hot seat in 2024. After all, once an extension wasn’t reached last offseason when there were two years left on Tomlin’s previous deal, that appeared to signal the beginning of the end for the man famous for his isms.

It sure appeared that the end might be near during the 2023 regular season when chaos and frustration continued to mount over the offense, Matt Canada and the quarterback situation. You had Diontae Johnson giving up on a play in November. George Pickens did something similar in December. Then, Mason Rudolph stepped in for an injured Kenny Pickett and an ineffective Mitch Trubisky, and he pulled the Steelers out of what looked to be their first losing season in 20 years. Not only that, but Pittsburgh’s 10-7 record was good enough to clinch the seventh and final playoff seed in the AFC.

Once that happened, and once general manager Omar Khan hired Arthur Smith as the new offensive coordinator and totally revamped the quarterback room with the signing of Russell Wilson and the trade for Justin Fields, you had to know the writing was on the wall as it pertained to a new Tomlin extension.

Here we are, the extension is now a reality.

It’s time to move on.

No need to bring up all the usual criticisms of Tomlin; believe me, I’ve heard them all.

• He hasn’t won a playoff game in seven years.
• He has a job for life.
• The franchise is afraid to fire him because of the Rooney Rule.
• We have now learned to accept mediocrity.
• You like to call him Dumblin.
• He’s a cheerleader.

I think that just about covers it. These criticisms are tired and worn out (and a couple of them are clearly bullspit), but at least you could have had a field day with them if Tomlin went into the 2024 campaign as a lame-duck coach.

Sadly, that’s no longer a possibility. It’s now the very definition of wasted energy to spend hours and days arguing about the case for firing Tomlin. He’s going to be here for a while. If Art II had the stamina to sit through two-plus years of Matt Canada as his offensive coordinator–and didn’t fire him until there were mere weeks left on his contract–he’s not going to can the head coach with almost a half-a-decade left on his new deal.

“What are we supposed to do? Just accept mediocrity?”

You could try not making your entire identity about wanting to see a coach get fired.

Also, the season is about to start! Get excited! This isn’t the time to indulge in “fire culture.” That time is in January, February, or maybe March. This is the part of the calendar when your energy should be directed toward the possibilities of a fantastic and exciting 2024 Steelers season.

Finally, you may still want to argue about Tomlin’s job security and the warmth of his seat, but this is June.

As a great man once said, “We do not care.”