Pittsburgh Steelers: Extending Mike Tomlin the Next Big Priority

So the Steelers aren't going to be big players in free agency.

That's not surprising.

The draft is a month away. We know the Steelers will be smart and probably come away with another deep draft class of talent.

So what's left to learn?

What about what's happening with Mike Tomlin's contract?

His opposite number from Super Bowl XLIII recently signed a fat contract extension. Ken Whisenhunt's deal will keep him in Arizona through 2013 and will pay him around $6 million per year.

And he's the one who lost the Super Bowl two years ago.

Tomlin's deal keeps him a Steeler through the end of next season (assuming there is a season in 2011), so this isn't something that the Steelers are under the gun to work on.

But maybe they are. Whisenhunt was extended after the same three year period Tomlin has gone through with less regular season wins (27 to Tomlin's 31) and no Super Bowl victory.

And, with no pressing player issues to worry about besides resigning Ryan Clark and Jeff Reed's extension, why not work on this now?

Make no mistake, the Steelers may have underachieved last season, but Tomlin deserves a new deal. He was the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl in 2008 and his style and drive are exactly what the Steelers like in their coaches.

But what's fair?

Should Tomlin get $6 million a year when the guy he beat got that amount? The Steelers aren't likely to shell out a record deal for a head coach, having never paid Bill Cowher wide of the league mark.

The likely scenario is that Tomlin gets a longer deal than Whisenhunt and around the same money (although maybe $6.5 million instead of just $6 million). The reason for this is that the Steelers like longevity in their coaches and are willing to dole out money over a longer period to ensure that a coach will stay in place.

It may not seem like a pressing issue, but the salary scale for coaches only keeps rising, so now is the perfect time to negotiate. The Whisenhunt deal is a template for what Tomlin should get with necessary adjustments for his higher performance.

By negotiating now, the Steelers could save in the long run.