Mike Tomlin’s future on the sideline may already be settled.
After 19 seasons running 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 just fine in the changeover.
Pittsburgh is 6-2 heading into its bye week and sitting alone in first place in the AFC North. Tomlin, meanwhile, has drawn strong reviews for his work as an analyst throughout the season.
That backdrop made Cam Heyward’s comments this week even more notable. The Steelers defensive tackle said he does not expect Tomlin to return to coaching, even though Tomlin figures to be one of the biggest names available in 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, Tomlin’s reasoning is easy to understand. 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 reportedly backloaded Tomlin’s contract in an effort to keep him around longer.
After 19 seasons without a losing record and a Super Bowl ring, Tomlin has earned the right to enjoy the view from the studio desk.
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