Mike Tomlin is already back in the conversation, and this time the chatter is centered on Green Bay.
It’s only Week 3, but the Packers’ 1-2 start and their ugly home loss to the Atlanta Falcons have pushed fans into a familiar place: looking ahead, and looking at the coach. Matt LaFleur has had plenty of success in Green Bay, but patience is starting to thin.
If this season keeps sliding, the pressure could be real by January. Some fans, though, are acting like the verdict is already in.
“You’re the Green Bay Packers,” former ESPN star Jon “Stugotz” Weiner said. “Mike Tomlin calls. What do you do?”
That question has been echoed across social media, where the Tomlin-to-Green-Bay idea is picking up steam. “Give Mike Tomlin a good GM and Jordan Love, and the Packers are back among the best teams in the NFL next season,” a Packers fan declared. Another wrote, “Packers should be begging Mike Tomlin as of halftime yesterday get rid of Matt LaFleur,” while a different fan went even further: “Mike Tomlin will be next head coach of Green Bay Packers,”
Tomlin stepped away from the Steelers in January after nearly two decades without a sub .500 record. His run in Pittsburgh ended with a 193-114-2 mark, 13 playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title. That résumé is exactly why his name keeps surfacing whenever a big job might open up.
Before the start of the 2026 season, Tomlin was asked whether he would ever return to coaching, and he left the door open.
“It’s certainly not a 32-team league for me, but I’ve also learned to never say never,” Tomlin said. “I love to coach.
I love all the challenges of the profession. I love to be a part of growth and development of young people individually.
I love the measurement of the seven-day cycle, but also have enjoyed, man, the last six months life on this other side that I had no idea about.”
If the right opportunity comes along, it sounds like he would at least listen. And from the outside, Green Bay has some of the ingredients that would make the idea hard to dismiss, with its history and a quarterback in Jordan Love who still carries plenty of upside.
In Other News...
Falcons Just Added To A Quarterback Debate Fans Will Enjoy
Kirk Cousins has quietly pushed his way back into the conversation as one of the more efficient veteran quarterbacks in the league, and that matters in a season where several familiar names have already hit turbulence. After three weeks, the review of early quarterback play has centered on a few stark swings: Drake Maye has battled turnovers and inconsistency in New England, Deshaun Watson has helped steady Cleveland during a recent winning stretch, and Jordan Love has had to survive shaky protection while fighting accuracy issues in Green Bay.
For Atlanta fans, the wrinkle is that Cousins early work in Las Vegas gives the Falcons another familiar reference point in the league-wide quarterback debate. His command of that offense has been a reminder of what steady veteran play can look like when it is supported by cleaner decision-making and a more functional structure, and it naturally invites comparisons to where the Falcons have been and where they still want to get. The larger question now is whether this early form is real enough to stick, because the first few weeks have already shown how fast the conversation can change around a quarterback. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Fans Already Have A Coaching Debate They Didnt Expect
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For Atlanta, the debate is less about one game than the bigger picture of what kind of impact Stefanski can make as the season settles in. Kubiaks quick start in Las Vegas is the kind of early momentum that naturally invites second-guessing, even if the Falcons have their own reason for optimism after a nationally televised victory. The first month has not settled anything, but it has made the coaching conversation more interesting than anyone expected this soon. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Suddenly Have A Real NFC South Chance Again
After an 0-2 start, the Falcons steadied themselves with a meaningful win over the Packers and suddenly find the NFC South looking far less closed off than it did two weeks ago. A division that appeared to be slipping away has tightened up quickly, helped along by losses from the Saints, Panthers and Buccaneers that left the race in a three-way tie at the top.
Now the focus shifts to a matchup with New Orleans that feels like more than just another early-season game. For Atlanta, it is the kind of divisional test that can reshape the standings in a hurry and offer a clearer read on whether that rough opening was a temporary stumble or a deeper problem. [Read more 🡒]