With Mike Tomlin officially on the market, the starting gun is firing on the biggest NFL TV free agent sweepstakes since Tom Brady.
The Super Bowl-winning coach is gearing up to talk with NFL TV partners and streamers about a move into media this season, sources say.
The charismatic and quotable Steelers legend has long been the most desired free agent on the market. The frenzied bidding to hire Tomlin could easily reach into eight figures.
“Everybody wants to meet with him,” says one source.
Front Office Sports recently broke the news that Tomlin had signed with agent Alex Flanagan of The Montag Group, further signaling his sports media aspirations. One week later, here are five things we’re hearing about the Tomlin talks:
Timing
The Tomlin sweepstakes could be over quicker than expected, say sources. Why? Because the major TV networks and streamers will hold their “upfront” presentations in April and May. During these annual showcases in New York, the media giants tout their upcoming programming and sell the bulk of their advertising inventory for the coming year.
NFL personalities such as Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski of Fox Sports and Troy Aikman and Joe Buck of Disney’s ESPN made live appearances last year to personally lobby ad buyers from Madison Avenue. Media giants love to reveal major talent hires at the upfronts. Just ask NBC Sports, which drew gasps by announcing Michael Jordan as a “special contributor” to its NBA coverage at Radio City Music Hall last year. Will NBC catch lightning in a bottle twice?
Back in 2017, CBS announced Tony Romo as its new No. 1 game analyst in early April, then showed him off at its upfront in May. Any NFL media partner that brings the popular Tomlin to the stage as its new hire is sure to be rewarded with a shower of ad riches for the 2026 season.
Favorites
NBC is viewed as the clear favorite. The network just parted ways with Football Night in America studio analyst Tony Dungy after 17 seasons. Fellow analyst Jason Garrett could be out the door too, say sources. So NBC could have not one, but two ex-coach spots to fill on its primetime pregame show.
But there will also be competition.
Fox slid Rob Gronkowski into Jimmy Johnson’s seat on its top-rated Fox NFL Sunday, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility that it adds another Super Bowl-winning head coach. With Matt Ryan returning to the Falcons in a front office role, CBS has an open chair on The NFL Today. Even if it doesn’t have any apparent openings, ESPN talks to everybody as a matter of business. The Worldwide Leader could use Tomlin on both ESPN and NFL Network.
Dark Horse Candidates
Don’t count out deep-pocketed streamers Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. Prime boss Jay Marine told FOS at “Tuned In” last year that he wants a Super Bowl one day. Who better than Tomlin to help make the streamer a more attractive candidate for such a showcase?
Netflix is looking to double its number of live games from two to four, according to the Wall Street Journal. The streaming giant is interested in the league’s new Thanksgiving game as well as an international game. Having more games would only increase Netflix’s need for a signature analyst such as Tomlin.
Game or Studio Analyst?
That depends on what Tomlin wants and where he’ll feel comfortable. But former coaches like Sean Payton, who recently tried their hands at TV, have been choosing the less-taxing, once-a-week role of studio analyst over game analyst. Studio analysts make far less money than game analysts. But there’s less travel and pressure. It’s easier to recharge your batteries for a year on TV before rejoining the NFL in a new coaching role.
Show Me the Money
The big money lies in becoming a No. 1 game analyst. The likes of Brady, Aikman, Romo, Cris Collinsworth of NBC, and Kirk Herbstreit of Prime are now effectively the faces and of their respective employers. Brady pockets an eye-watering $37.5 million a year from Fox while Aikman and Romo make around $19 million. There are no open game analyst jobs right now.
Studio analysts, on the other hand, make in the $5 million range, although some have earned more due to a variety of factors. Demand for Tomlin could push him into the eight-figure range, even as a studio analyst, say sources. Another factor that could move his number: There is now a dearth of ex-NFL coaches on the air. For what it’s worth, Tomlin was making around $16 million a year as the Steelers’ coach.
The NFL’s media partners declined to comment on Tomlin. Ditto for the Montag Group, which represents NFL media heavy hitters such as NBC’s Mike Tirico and CBS’ Nantz and James Brown.
