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Mike Tomlin says he’s happy in his new broadcasting role with NBC. But he’s also not ruling out a return to coaching, saying Wednesday he knows “that’s going to come up” soon and he will “cross that bridge when I come to it.”
Front Office Sports reported late last month that 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 NBC to accept a big-money coaching offer.
The former Steelers coach, speaking during an NBC Sports conference call with reporters Wednesday, appeared to confirm the aspects of that report related to his mindset and his approach to a prospective resumption of his coaching career.
“I’ve just been hyper-focused on getting better each and every week in terms of delivering information and delivering it in an educational and entertaining way,” Tomlin said in response to a question by FOS. “So I’m having a lot of fun. Haven’t given one iota of thought about coaching. I’m sure that, you know, some of that’s going to come up in the not-too-distant future. But I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Really haven’t thought a lot about it. Really excited about my new role and working to get better each and every week.”
Tomlin has drawn praise in his first half-season of work as an NFL analyst on NBC’s Football Night in America studio show. His “studio” work has come on site at NFL stadiums.
“I’ve been enjoying the challenge of the new work,” Tomlin said. “I’ve got a great team. Having a lot of fun with my coworkers. And it’s awesome to be as close to the game as I am and … observe the game from a global perspective. I think when you’re coaching, you block out a lot of the, you know, peripheral things … during the course of the NFL season. It’s been fun to really enjoy observing it … from a football lover’s perspective. And so I’m thoroughly enjoying it. But … it’s also fun to be challenged.”
The financial terms of Tomlin’s contract with NBC are not publicly known. FOS reported last month it’s believed that the deal 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 contract, he is permitted to return to coaching if he opts to do so.
Tomlin, 54, walked away from his Steelers coaching job following their playoff loss to the Texans last season. He never had a losing season in 19 years, reached the playoffs 13 times, and won a Super Bowl title.
His contract with the Steelers reportedly was to run through this season with a team option for the 2027 season. So he may still be under contract to the Steelers, which potentially could mean that another NFL team would have to provide compensation to Pittsburgh to hire him.
Tomlin and the rest of the NBC broadcasting crew will be in Cincinnati this weekend for the Steelers-Bengals game Sunday night with first place in the AFC North at stake.
“I look forward to it because of the relationship,” Tomlin said Wednesday of working a game involving his former team. “But you know me. … I’m capable of compartmentalizing and getting hyper-focused on the job. But it certainly will be fun to see some guys I’ve got relationships with. There will certainly be a lot of those. But they have a job to do. I have a job to do. And so I’m sure everyone’s going to be focused on the task at hand.”
