Mike Tomlin’s future on an NFL sideline may already be settled.
After 19 seasons leading the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tomlin stepped away following last year’s Wild Card round loss to the Houston Texans and moved into a studio role with NBC’s Football Night in America. Since then, the Steelers have gone on with Mike McCarty, and both sides have looked plenty comfortable with the change.
Pittsburgh is 6-2 heading into its bye week and sitting alone atop the AFC North. Tomlin, meanwhile, has drawn strong reviews all season for his work as an analyst.
That backdrop made Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward’s comments this week especially notable. Heyward suggested Tomlin won’t be returning to coaching, even with plenty of buzz that he could be one of the biggest names on next offseason’s coaching carousel.
“Guys, he’s not coming back. He’s way too comfortable.
He told me as soon as he walked in, ‘I win every week now.’ And I’m like, ‘I get that.’
I get that. And I’m not gonna fight against that because that’s a pretty sweet job he’s got going on over there,” Heyward said, via Gerry Dulac, on Tuesday.
A day later, Dulac added another layer to the story, reporting that Tomlin has already communicated his intentions to the Steelers.
“My understanding is the Steelers are free of any compensation after this season if Tomlin returns to coaching. I will tell you, though, I have been told that he has told the Steelers he doesn’t intend to coach anymore. We’ll see,” Dulac said.
If that holds, it’s not hard to understand why Tomlin would stay put. He recently told Travis and Jason Kelce on New Heights that his NBC role is “part-time work, full-time pay.” Dulac also noted that NBC has reportedly backloaded Tomlin’s contract in an effort to keep him around.
After 19 seasons without a losing record and a Super Bowl ring, Tomlin has certainly earned the right to enjoy the view from the broadcast booth.
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