Mike Tomlin may already have made up his mind about whether he’s ever getting back on an NFL sideline.
After 19 seasons running the Pittsburgh Steelers before stepping away following last year’s Wild Card round loss to the Houston Texans, Tomlin has settled into his new role on NBC’s Football Night in America. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh moved on with Mike McCarty, and both sides have looked just fine in the aftermath.
The Steelers are 6-2 entering their bye week and sitting alone atop the AFC North. Tomlin, for his part, has drawn strong reviews all season as a studio analyst.
That backdrop made Cam Heyward’s comments this week stand out. The Steelers defensive tackle said he doesn’t expect Tomlin to return to coaching, even with speculation that he’d be one of the hottest 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 let the Steelers know where he stands.
“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’s the direction this is headed, it’s not hard to see why Tomlin would be content to stay put. He recently told Travis and Jason Kelce on New Heights that his NBC job is “part-time work, full-time pay.” There’s also his contract situation with the network, which reportedly backloaded the deal in an effort to keep him around long term.
After 19 seasons without a losing record and a Super Bowl ring to his name, Tomlin has certainly earned the right to enjoy the view from the studio.
In Other News...
FSU Heads To Pitt With Bowl Hopes And A Growing Availability Problem
Florida State heads to Pittsburgh for its second straight road game carrying more than just the usual late-season pressure. The Seminoles are still trying to keep their bowl hopes alive, and the latest ACC availability report adds another layer to the challenge, with several players unavailable on both sides of the matchup. For Florida State, the backfield picture is especially important after Quintrevion Wisner was ruled out, leaving more of the workload to Amari Thomas.
It is the kind of spot where depth matters as much as momentum, and the Seminoles will need to sort through a thinner rotation while trying to handle a Panthers team dealing with its own absences. Pittsburgh listed eight players as unavailable, so both staffs are working around missing pieces as the game approaches. For Florida State, the bigger question is how well it can absorb the losses and still stay on track in a game with plenty riding on it. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Heads Into Pitt With One New Roster Concern
Florida States latest injury report added another layer of uncertainty as the Seminoles get ready for Pitt, with several players landing in various categories and running back Tre Wisner ruled out. Linebacker Blake Nichelson was listed as probable, giving the defense at least one encouraging note as the team works through the usual late-week roster sorting before a conference road game.
The off-field news was busy, too, with Jeff Purinton introduced as the schools new athletic director and weighing in on the football coaching search. Around the program, the mens basketball team dropped its game against Florida, while the womens team was preparing to host West Florida in a Military Appreciation game, keeping Florida States athletic department in the spotlight on multiple fronts. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Faces An Immediate Test After Its Much Needed Breakthrough
Florida State finally got a needed lift by snapping a three-game losing streak with a win over Boston College, a result that gave Rick Stockstill a much cleaner starting point in his new role. It was the kind of response the Seminoles had been waiting for, especially after a rough stretch that had put plenty of pressure on the program to show some life again.
Pittsburgh arrives Friday with a similar sense of relief after ending its own skid, which makes this next matchup feel less like a reset and more like an immediate stress test. The numbers suggest there are real contrasts to sort through, and with both teams trying to turn one good result into something more durable, this one should say plenty about whether Florida States breakthrough was the start of a climb or just a brief pause. [Read more 🡒]