When Mike Tomlin met Shedeur Sanders during scouting for the 2025 NFL draft, the Colorado quarterback noticed one thing: Tomlin was just like his father. While Deion Sanders’ path never directly crossed the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL, the respect is there. And so, as the 19-year veteran shockingly steps out of Pittsburgh, Prime Time did not hide his reaction.

“Wow! Mike Tomlin, WOW!,” Colorado’s head coach Deion Sanders wrote on X.

After the Baltimore Ravens fired John Harbaugh, Tomlin’s move to step down as Pittsburgh’s head coach made the biggest splash in the head coaching carousel. And Sanders’s reaction to Mike Tomlin’s exit from the Steelers made sense. Last year, in April, Tomlin made his bond with Sanders clear.

“I’ve known his (Shedeur Sander’s) father for a long time,” Tomlin said to reporters about the visit. “We didn’t talk a whole lot about my relationship with his father. It was a normal pre-draft visit.”

While public records of their friendship aren’t known, Tomlin and Sanders have been in the NFL at the same time. Sanders retired from the league in 2001, when Tomlin joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a defensive coordinator.

However, Sanders unretired to play for the Baltimore Ravens as a defensive back in 2004 while Tomlin was still with the Buccaneers. Though the two teams did not play against each other in the two years Sanders was with the Ravens, he had already made quite an impression as a legend in the NFL.

Moreover, as a head coach himself, watching a legendary coach step down from his position does evoke emotions.

On the field, Tomlin delivered remarkable consistency. He never recorded a losing season in 19 years, reached the playoffs 13 times, and won eight AFC North division titles.

But their loss to Houston was their seventh consecutive postseason defeat, and fans’ frustration became evident throughout the season. In fact, the “fire Tomlin” chants roared in the Acrisure Stadium again in the final four minutes of their playoff game against the Texans. Previously, the Steelers fans turned on Tomlin during their Week 13 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills, chanting the same while also booing at the Renegade.

The news came within 24 hours of the Steelers losing the playoff game at home.

Tomlin provided stability and consistency to a culture-backed team. He became the youngest head coach in NFL history to coach in and win a Super Bowl and made two Super Bowl appearances. However, he couldn’t repeat these heroics in recent years. In fact, he came quite close to losing his streak of winning regular seasons, but a late team effort helped the Steelers achieve a 10-7 record.

What’s next for Tomlin and the Steelers?

Tomlin’s departure means the Steelers will search for their fourth head coach since 1969. Plus, the roster could also take a hit, as veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers made it clear that the reason he joined the Steelers was the opportunity to work under Tomlin. Moreover, Cameron Heyward might also think of retiring after the head coach stepped away.

With multiple head coaches fired this season, though, the Steelers can make their move early in the market. Their best option might be the divisional rival’s fired head coach, John Harbaugh.

As for Tomlin, he can look for another head coaching job, as he still has two years left on his contract. The Steelers still hold his coaching rights. So, if he wants to continue coaching, he might ask for a trade. Earlier, Tomlin made it pretty clear on the Rich Eisen Show how much he loves coaching.

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“Hey, I’m institutionalized,” Tomlin said. “Man, I gotta have it. I just love the challenges week in and week out that this job provides. The growth in it, the collective growth, the individual growth. A lot of lessons that I’ve learned in life have been through my football experiences. I’ve been on the team every year of my life since 1980, and so I really appreciate it.”

But he also made it evident at the Steelers meeting that he is planning to take a break from coaching. However, that won’t get him out of a job.

Media outlets like Fox Sports, ESPN, NBC, and CBS might show interest in him. He would fit in well on the shows, given his record and ability to break down plays. Fox Sports still has not replaced Jimmy Johnson on Fox NFL Sunday, and CBS NFL Today lost Matt Ryan as he took a front office job at the Atlanta Falcons. Johnson, Sean Payton, and Bill Belichick are some of the former coaches who went into the broadcasting world before eventually returning to the sidelines.

Now his exit creates the ninth current head coach vacancy in the NFL.

Mike Tomlin’s move opens the ninth job opening in the league

Mike Tomlin’s exit from the Steelers brings in major chaos in the NFL coaching carousel, as it raises the vacancy total to nine, and more than 25% of the league now searches for a head coach.

The list includes the Giants, Titans, Cardinals, Falcons, Ravens, Browns, Raiders, Dolphins, and now the Steelers. All these teams have moved on from their coaches, creating a massive need for new head coaches. What’s interesting is that even Deion Sanders’s son, Shedeur Sanders’ team, the Browns, is on the list.

They fired Kevin Stefanski after six seasons. Now, Sanders’s message to Tomlin could keep him in the division and get him to the Browns. Even though there’s still no confirmation on his next move, if he takes the reins, he will have the opportunity to take Cleveland to its first division title since 1989.

His resume can impress the teams, too, as he compiled a regular-season record of 193-114-2 with the Steelers, where he started in January 2007. Now, with so many teams looking for their new head coaches, let’s wait and see how they fill the gaps.