Mike Tomlin isn’t closing the door on returning to the NFL, which means Mike Tomlin will be the center of coaching rumors until he either returns to the NFL or closes the door.
Tomlin joined Cris and Jac Collinsworth on Pro Football Focus to preview the NFL season and discuss his transition to media as a studio analyst with NBC after nearly two decades as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. During the interview Tomlin was asked the question he’s going to be asked all season long, will he coach again?
“It’s certainly not a 32-team league for me, but I’ve also learned to never say never,” Tomlin admitted. “I love to coach. I love all the challenges of the profession. I love to be a part of growth and development of young people individually. I love the measurement of the seven-day cycle, but also have enjoyed, man, the last six months life on this other side that I had no idea about.”
A former Steelers head coach joining the media and being at the center of rumors about NFL coaching vacancies? Where have we heard that one before? Tomlin’s predecessor, Bill Cowher, stepped down as head coach of the Steelers in 2007. It took at least ten years for people to stop mentioning his name for every significant NFL coaching vacancy. And much like his predecessor, Tomlin will now similarly see his name mentioned for coaching vacancies, even if he doesn’t show interest.
Cowher has never been without suitors, but ultimately didn’t miss coaching enough to give up his CBS gig for an NFL team. Tomlin will soon learn whether [media similarly fills the void enough](https://awfulannouncing.com/nbc/mike-tomlin-love-post-coaching-lifestyle.html) to keep him getting back to coaching.
Last month, former NFL Network reporter Jason La Canfora [reported](https://www.si.com/nfl/steelers/onsi/jets-doing-homework-hire-pittsburgh-steelers-mike-tomlin-2027) New York Jets owner Woody Johnson was already “doing his homework” on Tomlin. Unfortunately for Johnson, Tomlin admitting it’s “not a 32-team league” for him will likely make the Jets hard to sell. But while it might not be a 32-team league for Tomlin, nearly every team should be doing their homework on him. Because as long as he’s not on a team, Tomlin should be at the top of every team’s list of potential head coaches.