How Mike Tomlin’s decision impacts the Titans’ head coach search with the Steelers throwing their hat in the ring

Nine head coach openings?!

Easton Freeze — Tennessee Titans Beat Writer
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Since 1969, the Pittsburgh Steelers have had just four different head coaches. In 2026, they’ll make it five.

19-year leader of the Steelers Mike Tomlin informed his team on Tuesday that he’s stepping away from the team. This follows their thorough handling on Monday Night Football by the visiting Houston Texans.

Tomlin never once had a losing season in nearly two decades, but he also hadn’t produced a playoff win since 2017. It had become an annual tradition in NFL circles to wait for the inevitable groans from Steelers fan to fire the most tenured coach in the league.

Well, he wasn’t fired. But he is gone. So what next for him and the Steelers? And how will it impact the Titans’ search for their next head coach?

Mike Tomlin leaving Steelers is bad news for Titans

No, Mike Tomlin is not coming to coach the Tennessee Titans. I don’t believe he’s going to be coaching anywhere in 2026, for that matter. It’s been a poorly-kept secret for some time now how there are lucrative TV offers waiting for him. Tomlin is an all-time personality, and like his predecessor Bill Cowher, he’s expected to head to the television analyst ranks for at least one season.

The Steelers now join the coaching carousel painfully late, becoming the ninth seat to fill this offseason. Nine openings! We’ve lost our minds in 2026, people. Continuity is dead, welcome to the NBA. Get off my lawn, etc.

I think, generally speaking, this is bad news for every team in the search for their next head coach besides the Baltimore Ravens. While the Steelers may not top your personal attractiveness rankings (they don’t mine), each coaching candidate will have a slightly different perspective. What they each value will differ. And for many, the stability, rich history, and prestige of the Pittsburgh Steelers gig shines above the rest.

They are a franchise that’s enjoyed immense success and only ever employed four different head coaches, after all. If you’re hunting existing infrastructure and the potential for a notable legacy, Pittsburgh will have a serious draw. Mike Tomlin was a relatively unknown 35 year old assistant at the time of his hiring. 19 years later, he’s tied for 9th all-time in wins with a ring to his name.

When the Titans became the first team with a head coach opening last fall, I know for a fact that they weren’t anticipating this crowded of a cycle. And with Tomlin out of the coaching pool while Pittsburgh joins the openings pool, that math works against them. They have to hope that the majority of quality candidates—or really, just their preferred guy—sees their QB, GM, draft capital, and dramatic cap space as more attractive than the institutional prestige Pittsburgh has to offer.

After all, the Steelers have no clear QB path, underwhelming draft capital, fine cap space, and an aging roster. The finer points of their pitch are lacking. The Titans will have to hope the coaching ranks see that.

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