Mike Tomlin has swapped the Pittsburgh Steelers sideline for NBC’s studio, but his contract suggests the move may not be permanent. The deal does not restrict a return to coaching. If an NFL team comes calling, Tomlin can walk away from the studio and take the job.
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“It’s believed that Mike Tomlin’s contract with NBC is lucrative by industry standards and that, while Tomlin is barred from moving to another network as a broadcaster for the duration of his NBC deal, he is permitted to return to an NFL coaching job if he chooses to do so,” Front Office Sports’ Mark Maske posted on X.
However, Marchand reported the deal is backloaded, so leaving early would forfeit most compensation. Tomlin has slipped into broadcasting about as smoothly as anyone could have hoped. After stepping away from the Steelers, he joined NBC as a studio analyst for Sunday Night Football, and so far the switch looks natural.
His exit came after a playoff loss to the Houston Texans in January. Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season, which framed the ending, but it hardly defines his tenure.
Over 19 years, Tomlin never had a losing record, never finished worse than 8-8, and reached the Super Bowl twice, winning it once.
That record explains why he is expected to be one of the most in-demand head coaching candidates in the coming months, as Maske put it.
“NEW: Mike Tomlin is expected to be in extremely high demand as an NFL head coaching candidate in the coming months, but it’s not considered automatic that he would leave his broadcasting job at NBC to accept a big-money coaching offer, sources tell @FOS. First, at @FOS,” Maske wrote on X.
His contract is believed to let him depart for an NFL job, but he would reportedly weigh the demands of coaching against a broadcasting career that looks promising. His availability will likely be the biggest factor for teams heading into the next firing and hiring cycle.
The terms of his NBC deal aren’t public, though it is believed ‘to be lucrative by industry standards’. Even so, some people close to Tomlin say money isn’t what will decide this.
“Money has nothing to do with this,” one source told FOS. “… Of course [NFL teams] are going to offer him stuff. The question is: Is he having a good time doing what he’s doing and is he good at it?”
Tomlin himself hasn’t said anything publicly.
Money could still play a part, though. In August, Andrew Marchand of Marchand Sports Media reported that the NBC contract is “backloaded” in terms of compensation, so walking away after this season would mean giving up most of that money.
Marchand believes NBC set it up that way to keep him around. For now, whether Tomlin heads back to the sideline remains an open question.
Mike Tomlin could return to the NFL sideline
Earlier this year, Tomlin announced he would leave his job as Steelers head coach after nearly two decades in Pittsburgh, and he stepped down after the 2025 season.
Still, plenty of people around the league hoped to see him back on the sidelines in 2026. However, that didn’t happen. But now, an official with one team told FOS about his future.
“He will clearly be at the top of the list for any team that has an opening,” an official told FOS. “If he’s willing to come back, that could cause a team or two to create an opening. It’s a call that you have to make if you’re looking for a coach.”
It is easy to see why. Tomlin coached the Steelers for 19 seasons, from 2007 through 2025, and finished with 193-114-2. He made 13 playoff appearances, won eight AFC North titles and two AFC Championships, and took home one Super Bowl.
Openings are rarely hard to find, either. According to ESPN, the league has seen at least five head coaching changes in each of the last 16 seasons, including 10 last offseason.
Therefore, several teams could soon be in the market for a head coach. There is a complication, though.
The Steelers announced a three-year extension through 2027 reportedly with a team option for that final year, for Tomlin in 2024, and it is unclear whether they exercised that option. If they still hold his rights, they could ask for compensation from any team that hires him, much like a coaching trade.
In the end, Tomlin’s next move may depend as much on contracts as on openings.