Steelers’ hopes of landing anything in return for Mike Tomlin just went up in flames following announcement of his 2026 plans
Mike Tomlin has officially accepted a new gig, but it won’t be as a head coach, or any coach in the league, for that matter, meaning the Steelers won’t be getting anything in return.
Ever since Mike Tomlin held his final team meeting following the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ wildcard loss to Houston and walked out of the doors of at the UPMC Sports Complex, the question has been, what happens next?
From the Steelers point of view, it’s a double-edged sword. Mike Tomlin undoubtedly means a lot to the organization, and seeing him go elsewhere could be a tough pill to swallow. But if he was/is going to return to coaching, the front office was probably hoping it would have been this year, if not 2027 at the latest. Well, that is no longer the case.
Mike Tomlin is joining NBC Sports’ Football Night in America
“Mike Tomlin, one of the most intriguing NFL TV prospects in years, is headed to NBC to be a top studio analyst on its Sunday night pregame show, “Football Night in America,” sources briefed on the move told The Athletic on Tuesday.”
“Tomlin will join host Maria Taylor, ex-Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, and Devin McCourty on set. NBC still must re-sign McCourty. Insider Mike Florio is expected to return to the program. Matthew Berry has been a fantasy football contributor on the show.” – Andrew Marchand, The Athletic
What the move means for Steelers trade hopes
Put plainly, if any team in the league wanted to hire Mike Tomlin as head coach before his contract runs out with the team in 2027, that team would have to trade for Tomlin. He may be retired, but the Steelers hold his rights through the duration of his contract.
We have plenty of precedent in this situation, with Sean Payton netting the Saints, a first, second, and third round pick from the Broncos when he decided to take the job in Denver after “retiring” in New Orleans.
That could still happen for Pittsburgh, but Tomlin would need to take a job immediately after the 2026 season. With how articulate he is, his passion for the game, and his ability to connect with people, NBC likely made a homerun hire, and it’s hard to envision Tomlin leaving after just one year, when he spent the past two decades with one team.