If Mike Tomlin ever decides to jump back into the NFL head-coaching market, the Pittsburgh Steelers may not be looking at a simple negotiation. They could be sitting on a real windfall.
Tomlin stepped down after the 2025 campaign, but Pittsburgh still holds his rights because the three-year extension he signed in June 2024 is effectively frozen. That deal runs through the 2026 season and includes a team option for 2027, which means any team trying to hire him later would likely have to pay up in a big way.
Jon Gruden thinks that price should be steep. On the latest episode of Cam Heyward’s “Not Just Football” podcast, Gruden pointed to Tomlin’s value as more than just a head coach on a sideline.
“So, if you get a guy like Mike Tomlin, he’s going to hire a good group of coaches, and he’s going to develop players; that’s worth a lot more than a first-round pick, if you ask me," Gruden said.
The comparison that keeps coming up is Sean Payton. Payton retired after the 2021 season, spent 2022 with FOX as an analyst, then returned to coaching ahead of the 2023 season when the Denver Broncos hired him. That deal sent a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick to the New Orleans Saints, while Denver also got a 2024 third-round pick back.
Tomlin is in a similar spot now. He joined NBC this offseason and will be part of the network’s “Football Night in America” crew. If he ever chooses to return to coaching after this upcoming season, he’d instantly become one of the most coveted head-coaching candidates in a long time.
And for Pittsburgh, that kind of return could matter well beyond the sidelines. If the Steelers can land a package close to what the Saints received for Payton - or even better - it could reshape their search for a franchise quarterback.
The 2027 draft class is viewed as strong at the position, though that can always change once the college season gets going. Still, the Steelers might have a real chance to find their long-term answer next spring.
If moving up the board becomes the best path, extra first-round picks from a Tomlin trade would make that climb a lot easier to swallow and a lot more realistic.
It’s a long way from becoming reality, if it happens at all. But for the Steelers, it’s a pretty intriguing possibility.
In Other News...
Steelers Linebacker Squeeze Could Force A Tough Veteran Decision
As Pittsburgh heads toward 2026 training camp, the linebacker room is one of the cleaner places on the roster at the top and one of the messier ones at the bottom. Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson look like safe bets to be there, while Carson Bruener and Malik Harrison also appear to have strong paths onto the 53-man roster, leaving defensive coordinator Patrick Graham with a decision that could shape the depth chart before camp even really gets going.
The real question is whether the Steelers carry four or five off-ball linebackers, because that choice could determine how much room there is for a veteran like Cole Holcomb. If Pittsburgh trims that group down, the numbers get tight quickly, and the team would not be staring at a major financial obstacle if it chose to move on. For a defense trying to balance experience, special teams value and future upside, it is the kind of roster squeeze that can turn a familiar name into the toughest call on the board. [Read more 🡒]
Jon Gruden Sends Steelers Fans A Message About Mike McCarthy
Mike McCarthys arrival in Pittsburgh has already started to change the conversation around the Steelers, and one familiar voice from his past is helping frame why. Jon Gruden, who knows McCarthy well from their time together at the University of Pittsburgh in the 1990s, praised the new Steelers coach on a podcast for his work ethic and his approach behind the scenes, a reminder that this hire comes with a long professional backstory as well as immediate expectations.
The early signs inside the building have been encouraging, too, with players noting a different energy as the team gets ready for the season. Younger players, including second-year tight end JJ Galbreath, have pointed to that shift, and now the bigger question is whether that momentum can hold once the real pressure starts and the Steelers find out just how quickly McCarthy can turn buy-in into results. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Camp Is Already Forcing A Brutal Verdict On Young Talent
Training camp is already sorting the Steelers young roster into two familiar buckets: the players who still look worth developing and the ones who are starting to feel like roster churn. Roman Wilson remains one of the more interesting names in that first group, with enough separation ability to keep the door open on becoming a useful receiver, while Eli Heidenreich is being viewed as a possible versatile piece in the backfield and Payton Wilson looks like the kind of linebacker the team can build around for the long term.
The harder part is that not every young player is giving the staff a reason to stay patient. Logan Lee still has trouble getting on the field because of strength and length concerns, Kaleb Johnson has not lived up to the early hope around him, and the Steelers broader quarterback picture only adds to the pressure on the developmental pipeline. If the team is already thinking about where the next answers might come from, camp is making it clear that some of these evaluations are going to get brutally honest fast. [Read more 🡒]