Mike Tomlin’s post-Steelers life may already be settling into place.
After 19 seasons running the Pittsburgh sideline, 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. The Steelers turned to Mike McCarty, and so far the split has worked out just fine for everyone involved. Pittsburgh is 6-2 heading into its bye week and sitting alone atop the AFC North, while Tomlin has drawn strong reviews for his work as an analyst.
Still, the bigger question has been whether Tomlin might eventually jump back into coaching. Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward doesn’t sound like he expects that to happen.
“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, saying Tomlin may have already made his feelings clear to the organization.
“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.
That would fit with the way Tomlin has described the NBC gig himself. On New Heights with Travis and Jason Kelce, he called it “part-time work, full-time pay.” And NBC reportedly structured his deal with backloaded money in an effort to keep him around.
After 19 seasons without a losing record and a Super Bowl ring to his name, Tomlin has earned the right to decide what comes next.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Just Gave Thunder Fans A New Look At Him
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The playlist is set to be refreshed monthly, which makes it more than a one-off novelty and more like an ongoing look at the guards musical leanings. Gilgeous-Alexander also opened up about his influences and the way he approaches music before games, adding another layer to the profile of a player whose style and personality continue to stand out in Oklahoma City. [Read more 🡒]