Mike Tomlin is heading to television.
After stepping away from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tomlin is joining NBC as a studio analyst on Football Night in America, the network's Sunday night pregame show. The Athletic's Andrew Marchand reported the move, which brings one of the most recognized voices in coaching to a national broadcast platform.
NBC wasn't the only network in the picture. Fox Sports had early interest in Tomlin, but NBC had the bigger need as it works through a significant reshaping of its pregame lineup. The most notable change already made was moving on from Tony Dungy after 17 seasons.
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Mike Tomlin joins revamped NFL Sunday pregame lineup
Tomlin steps into that revamped setup alongside host Maria Taylor, former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett and defensive back Devin McCourty. McCourty's contract situation is still being worked out. Mike Florio is expected to stay in his role on the show and Matthew Berry continues as the primary fantasy football contributor.
None of this comes as a surprise if you've paid attention over the years. Tomlin has drawn quiet interest from television executives for more than a decade.
A Super Bowl-winning coach with a sharp football mind and a very distinct way of talking about the game, that combination is hard to ignore. The interest was always there. It just took this long to turn into something concrete.
Football Night in America already pulls the highest numbers among Sunday NFL pregame shows. A big part of that is simply where it sits (right before NBC's primetime game), which gives it a built-in edge over the late-morning and noon shows on CBS, Fox, ESPN and NFL Network.
Reports suggest that NBC is also weighing a format change for next season. The network is considering taking the entire show on the road full-time rather than continuing its current split setup. In recent years, Taylor has anchored from the Stamford, Connecticut, studio while other analysts worked on-site at game locations. Moving to a fully on-site format would be a notable shift in how the show operates week to week.
Tomlin's fit in a broadcast setting has always seemed natural. Now he gets the chance to prove it on one of the biggest platforms in football.
