After resigning as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers following their playoff elimination in January, Mike Tomlin decided to take a studio job with NBC rather than immediately pursue another coaching job. But does the idea of coaching again intrigue him?
It was naturally among the first questions that he was asked when he joined Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth in the booth for last night's Hall of Fame Game between the Panthers and Cardinals. As you might expect, Tomlin didn't exactly slam the door shut on coaching again.
"I haven't thought a whole lot about it because I haven't felt like I'm missing anything yet. When those regular season balls start snapping, that's when I get (the itch) a little bit..." Tomlin said.
He did offer one moment where he teased a timeline for at least thinking about coaching again:
"Ask me in about six months," he said.
Tomlin's Future
In 19 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin never had a losing record. He went 193-114-2 in the regular season and had an 8-12 record in the playoffs. He led the Steelers to the Super Bowl twice, winning it all in Super Bowl XLIII and falling short in Super Bowl XLV.
But while the Steelers consistently remained an average team in the NFL even at their worst, the playoff struggles became too much to ignore in recent years. Between 2020 and 2025, the Steelers had six straight winning records and reached the playoffs five times. They went one-and-done in all of them.
© Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.
After losing to the Texans in the Wild Card round in January, Tomlin decided it was time to go. But there are plenty of teams who were eager to immediately bring him into the fold, hoping that could bring over a culture of at least consistent playoff appearances if not Super Bowl contention.
If Tomlin wants to coach again, he'll get the chance. If he doesn't, he might have a long career in broadcasting ahead of him.
