Mike Tomlin To Land At NBC

Not appearing on the coaching carousel after his Steelers resignation, Mike Tomlin will take the path expected — and a familiar trail for ex-Steelers head coaches. NBC is hiring the 19-year Pittsburgh leader as a studio analyst, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reports.

Tomlin’s move comes 19 years after Bill Cowher departed Pittsburgh for a CBS studio gig — one he has held ever since. Cowher’s successor became linked to a TV opportunity late last season, and he resigned shortly after the Steelers’ wild-card blowout loss to the Texans. FOX showed interest in Tomlin as well, according to Marchand.

Teams expressed interest in Tomlin in January, but it quickly became known the Super Bowl-winning HC was not interested in following John Harbaugh in landing elsewhere this offseason. It is not certain Tomlin will coach again. Cowher does represent the exception here, as many HCs who have stepped away for TV roles — from Dick Vermeil to Bill Parcells to Bruce Arians to Jon Gruden to Sean Payton — have returned to the sideline. Tomlin is 53, giving him some time to reassess his options (Cowher was 49 when he left the Steelers).

The Giants, who ended up hiring Harbaugh after a full-court press on the former Ravens boss, did extensive homework on Tomlin in the event he showed interest in a quick rebound opportunity. If Tomlin were to pursue another gig, the Steelers would be entitled to compensation due to holding his rights. The team held a 2027 contract option on its HC, whose contract ran through 2026. These matters will resurface as relevant if Tomlin makes it clear he will return to coaching.

Cowher-NFL buzz quieted years after his CBS landing. Vermeil, who left the Eagles after the 1982 season, returned to coach the Rams in 1997. Parcells only stayed away from coaching for two years following his health-driven Giants exit, returning to coach the Patriots in 1993. Arians was retired for all of one season, ditching a CBS game role to take the Buccaneers’ job in 2019. While Gruden was at ESPN for nine years, Payton followed the Arians track by returning after one year in TV (at FOX).

Parcells fetched the Jets first-, second-, third- and fourth-round picks across three drafts after his 1997 New England-to-New York trek; Payton commanded the Saints first- and second-rounders in a deal that sent a third back to the Broncos. The lack of noise surrounding Tomlin, whose quotable style may fare quite well in a TV post, may point to a Gruden- or Vermeil-length stay on the media side rather than the Arians/Payton-like quick turnaround.