Coaching another team does not appear to be in Mike Tomlin’s immediate future.
That’s according to Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II, who said Tomlin suggested as much when he stepped down as head coach after 19 seasons.
“Mike indicated that he did not anticipate coaching, at least in the near future,” Rooney said Wednesday at a news conference. “I think he wants to spend time with his family and do some of the kinds of things he hasn’t been able to do for the last many, many years.”
Tomlin announced his decision Tuesday, less than 24 hours after the Steelers suffered a season-ending 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
That prompted speculation over whether Tomlin, 53, would seek another head-coaching job — including with the Giants — or take some time away from the game.
Many envision the engaging Tomlin working in TV as a football analyst next season, with numerous networks expected to be interested.
“I was certainly willing to take another run at it next year with Mike, and that’s what I was expecting to talk about [on Tuesday],” Rooney said. “But obviously [it] went in another direction.”
Tomlin boasts a career record of 193-114-2, and he led the Steelers to a Super Bowl championship after the 2008 season. Tomlin has never finished with a losing record, including in 2025 when Pittsburgh went 10-7 and won the AFC North.
But the Steelers have gone nine seasons without a postseason victory — a drought in which they have lost seven consecutive playoff games.
“It was his decision,” Rooney said. “I will say that I wasn’t shocked, but I wasn’t expecting that conversation yesterday, either. When you get to this stage of a career … you could see that coming.”
Tomlin’s contract with the Steelers is through the 2026 season and also includes a team option for 2027. Pittsburgh thus retains Tomlin’s coaching rights, which means the Steelers could demand trade compensation if he went to another team.
“If something like that comes up, we’ll deal with it when it comes up,” Rooney said. “But right now, that doesn’t seem to be on his radar.”
Rooney said Wednesday that it would “probably take at least a few weeks” for the Steelers to hire Tomlin’s replacement.
Tomlin’s predecessor, Bill Cowher, went into TV after he resigned from the Steelers after the 2006 season. Cowher has not returned to coaching since.
At 53, Tomlin remains relatively young among coaches and therefore could return to the NFL after some time in television, should he decide to pursue the latter.
“While this chapter comes to a close, my respect and love for the Pittsburgh Steelers will never change,” Tomlin said in a statement Tuesday. “I am excited for what the future holds for this organization, and I will forever be grateful for my time coaching in Pittsburgh.”
