A new twist has surfaced around the Jets’ coaching future, and it puts Mike Tomlin back in the middle of the conversation.
A recent report claimed that Woody Johnson is already “doing his homework on” the former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach and could pursue Tomlin if he decides to move on from Aaron Glenn during or after the 2026 season. That same report also suggested the Jets could try to land Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson if Jackson does not sign an extension with Baltimore.
Now, NFL insider Tony Pauline of EssentiallySports says there may be something to the Tomlin-Jets connection.
On Thursday, Pauline reported that “sources” told him what Tomlin would want in order to take the Jets job.
“They believe the only way Tomlin coaches the Jets in 2027 would be to receive a piece of the team from Woody Johnson. The expected demand for a stake in a team is not only Tomlin’s desire to be part-owner of a franchise, but the price it would cost to get him to lead a dysfunctional organization such as the Jets.”
Pauline may have been pointing to Johnson’s history of meddling in football decisions. The Jets also own the longest active postseason drought across the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA and MLS, sitting at 15 years.
The bigger question, though, is whether Tomlin even wants back on a sideline.
He is currently working as an NFL analyst for NBC, and multiple people close to him said this past winter that he wanted “to be done” coaching. Still, Pauline wrote that Tomlin might already be feeling the pull of the job again.
“I was told that even though Tomlin loves the studio work in the early going, he’s still too close to the game and would entertain the possibility of returning to the sidelines in 2027,” Pauline added. “It could very well turn into a Mike Vrabel situation where Tomlin uses the Jets to get the job he ultimately wants.”
If Glenn delivers what Johnson considers a successful stretch from September through January, the noise could fade quickly. Until then, Glenn and Johnson may need to get ready for questions about Tomlin before long.
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