The Pittsburgh Steelers went through some major change for the first time in a long time during the 2026 offseason. Former head coach Mike Tomlin decided to step down from his role the day after Pittsburgh's season ended, and the organization then went through a thorough search for the franchise's next leader. The decision-makers landed on Mike McCarthy for the job, and Tomlin had made it clear to other franchises around the league that he had no plans to coach again. However, there has been some speculation about what he might end up doing, as television has always seemed like a possibility.
Erin Hooley / Associated Press
Former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin looks shocked as he speaks with the media after a loss in the 2025 season.
Tomlin did not want to continue to coach as he wanted to be able to spend some time around his family. A job in broadcasting seems to be a lot less demanding than being a head coach in the NFL, and that is what Tomlin will be doing for the foreseeable future. He officially signed a deal with NBC, and he will be joining Football Night In America, which is the pregame show for Sunday Night Football. Andrew Marchand of The Athletic was the first to report the news.
🚨🏈 NEWS: Mike Tomlin is headed to NBC and Football Night in America, The Athletic has learned.https://t.co/Ipw007D4qI
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) April 21, 2026
There were a lot of networks that were trying to pursue Tomlin, but it always felt like NBC had the best chance to land him. The network had let Tony Dungy go earlier in the offseason. Tomlin's name was floated out there to fill that role consistently, and now he is officially a member of the NBC network.
Taylor Ollason / Pittsburgh Steelers
Former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) during a regular season matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens.
Tomlin is expected to join the show in studio, and he will be alongside former NFL head coach Jason Garrett, Maria Taylor, and former defensive back Devin McCourty. McCourty still needs a new deal, but he is expected to get one from the network. Garrett used to coach the Dallas Cowboys, so there should be some similarities there between the two former coaches as each coached a historic franchise.
Tomlin has gone viral time and time again for some of his sayings that he unleashed in press conferences, but broadcasting and discussing a game on television is very different. Many believe that his skills as a talker and his football mind are not going to translate over to some major network, but NBC clearly feels confident bringing in the former head coach in Pittsburgh. It will be an interesting sight to see when Tomlin is on television, especially when the Steelers get scheduled on Sunday Night Football.
Steelers Will Be Must-See Television On Sunday Night Football
Teams' opponents for the 2026 season have been released for quite some time now, but the official schedules for each franchise are not out just yet. Some teams know part of their schedule due to them playing in an international game, but that has not been the case for Pittsburgh. The Steelers do not know any part of their schedule, but with Tomlin joining the Sunday Night Football broadcast, there is a chance the NFL might schedule Pittsburgh early on the program. A game against the Baltimore Ravens will probably appear on the show at some point, and it would be interesting to hear Tomlin break down a game like that from the outside looking in.
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Mike Tomlin walks out of the tunnel ahead of a game against the Ravens in Baltimore during the 2025 season.
It was known that the former head coach was a hot commodity for broadcasting networks, but a large portion of the fan base in Pittsburgh probably thought that he would be taking a season off. That is not the case, and Tomlin will be back on television in no time.
What do you think about Tomlin joining NBC? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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