Tuned In: Tomlin Hits Free Agency

April 1, 2026

Last week, Front Office Sports broke the news that Mike Tomlin has signed with agent Alex Flanagan of The Montag Group, signaling the ex-Steelers coach’s intent on entering broadcasting. As the TV industry’s upfronts approach, the Tomlin sweepstakes are officially underway.

—Michael McCarthy

First Up

As first reported by Front Office Sports, longtime MLB reliever Adam Ottavino is joining ESPN as an analyst. Read the story.
The Vancouver Canucks permanently revoked a reporter’s credential after he published a negative story about the team ownership’s other business. Read the story.
CBS’s Jim Nantz is facing backlash after admitting he hasn’t watched any of Bryson DeChambeau’s competitive golf rounds this year ahead of The Masters. Read the story.
Pro Football Focus has laid off several members of its content team after selling the company’s business enterprise division to Teamworks. Read the story.

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Five Things We’re Hearing About Mike Tomlin’s TV Free Agency

Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

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 sports media giant 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 Front Office Sports at the Tuned In summit 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 streamer is interested in the league’s new Thanksgiving Eve 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 hand 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 voices of their respective employers. Brady pockets an eye-watering $37.5 million a year from Fox, while Aikman and Romo make around $19 million each. There are no open lead 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 former 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’s Jim Nantz and James Brown.

Around the Dial

Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Fox Sports will air the NFL’s first Christmas Day game on broadcast TV in three years. Fox will air the third game of a tripleheader in 2026. Netflix, which has had the holiday to itself the past two years, will stream a doubleheader for the third straight year. The league’s also “actively looking” at a new game on Thanksgiving Eve.
ESPN is off to a fast start on UFL coverage. The network’s two-game opening weekend slate averaged 718,000 viewers, up 50% from last season. The St. Louis Battlehawks vs. DC Defenders drew 938,000 viewers, making it the second-most-watched UFL telecast on ESPN.
The father-son duo of Mike Golic and Mike Golic Jr. confirmed their Golic & Golic show has been canceled by FanDuel Sports Network. “On to the next chapter,” wrote Golic Sr. on X/Twitter.
CNN has released a new documentary focused on the college basketball betting scandal that led to 26 people being charged earlier this year. Money Madness: College Basketball at a Crossroads is currently available on the CNN app.
Kevin Kisner is joining the SiriusXM 2026 Masters broadcast team. The four-time PGA Tour winner will work with Brad Faxon, Brendon de Jonge, and Taylor Zarzour.
“Fern Turkowitz enjoyed a 47-year career at The NY Times in which she ran the Sports Dept,” wrote YES Network reporter Jack Curry about the longtime NYT assistant to the sports editor. “If you had an issue, she solved it. If you had a question, she answered it. Forever an ally, Fern did everything with a caring touch. She passed away on Sunday. RIP to a great friend.”
The iconic show This Week in Baseball is returning and will air on MLB’s Twitter account. It will be hosted by Kait Maniscalco.

One Big Fig

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; UConn Huskies guard Braylon Mullins (24) celebrates after making the game-winning three-point basket against the Duke Blue Devils in the second half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

10.3 million

That’s the average TV viewership through the Elite Eight for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament across CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV. It’s up 9% vs. the same point last year and this has been the most-watched NCAA tournament since 1993.