Mike Tomlin has not yet announced if he’ll coach in the NFL again, and yet, he’s already on at least one team’s radar.
Tomlin never went below .500 during his run with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2007-2025. He had a 193-114-2 record, made 13 playoff appearances and won a Super Bowl with the franchise.
So where could Tomlin end up if he’s interested in coaching? According to NFL insider Jason La Canfora, the New York Jets are already doing preliminary groundwork on Tomlin for the 2027 season.
“Woody is starting to ask a lot of questions; he’s doing his homework on Tomlin,” an executive told La Canfora. “This one has legs. I’m telling you. Mike is in New York at Rockefeller Center for NBC, Woody is back in charge at the facility, and he knows how steep the competition will be. You are going to hear a lot about the Jets.”
Another executive told La Canfora that Jets coach Aaron Glenn is a “dead man walking” this upcoming NFL season. While that’d be unfortunate for him, it’s worth noting that he turned in a lifeless 3-14 season in 2025.
© Barry Reeger-Imagn Images.
Will Mike Tomlin return to the NFL?
During his NBC debut earlier this month, Tomlin was asked if he’ll get the itch to coach in the NFL again.
“I haven’t thought a whole lot about it yet, because I don’t feel like I’m missing anything yet,” Tomlin told Cris Collinsworth and Mike Tirico. “You know, when those regular-season balls start snapping, that’s when I’ll start, you know, getting a little twitch a little bit.”
If Tomlin does return in 2027, he’ll be the top coach on the market. After all, we’ve seen veteran coaches like Andy Reid and Sean Payton benefit from a change of scenery.
