Mike Tomlin gives thoughts on Sean Payton’s alleged beef with Jets’ Nathaniel Hackett and Aaron Rodgers

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has a few thoughts about the current saga surrounding Sean Payton and the New York Jets.

Payton, the new Denver Broncos coach, hurled a few insults toward former head coach Nathaniel Hackett's efforts last season. He also said that the Jets won't be finding success with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.

After a 4-11 season with the Broncos in 2022, Hackett was fired from his position in Dec. He was hired as the Jets' offensive coordinator on Jan. 28, 2023.

Although Payton apologized for those comments and said he should have kept quiet, it's still being discussed.

In a recent interview with NBC's Peter King, Mike Tomlin said he looks forward to watching both teams this season:

“All I know is that I hope that game between the Broncos-Jets is on national TV, in a time where everybody can watch it because I want to watch that football game.”

Tomlin told King he hoped the Oct. 8 game would be televised to a national audience so everyone could watch it. He said that he hopes that he will be able to catch the matchup between the New York Jets and Denver Broncos because it's a must-see.

As of right now, the Week 5 game between the two teams is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. EST on CBS. It will likely be the game of the week as fans look to see if Payton's comments come back to haunt him.

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Mike Tomlin says the lack of contract extension discussion doesn't bother him

Mike Tomlin's time with the Pittsburgh Steelers is the NFL's second-longest tenured head coach role. With only Bill Belichick holding the same job longer, the 51-year-old has coached the team since 2007.

He has two seasons remaining on his contract with the Steelers, who don't plan to offer him an extension this season. That doesn't bother the longtime coach, though. Tomlin said:

“I hadn't even thought about it. I'm at a stage of my career I don't care about contracts to be honest with you. I acknowledge I've seen more days than I'm going to see.

"You know, that's just the nature of this thing. I'm appreciative of the opportunity. I'm singularly focused. I'm thankful that I'm at a stage in life and my career where that's a non-issue for me."

Mike Tomlin told reporters at training camp a few days ago that he knows how the business works. He said that he appreciates the opportunities he has had thus far. Tomlin added that he is just focused on this season and is not really worried about his contract as of now.

The Steelers typically don't offer contract extensions to head coaches until the final year of their deal.