No current head coach in the NFL has been with their team longer than Mike Tomlin. Now in his 19th season leading the Pittsburgh Steelers, it once felt like there was no chance he’d ever leave the organization.
However, in recent years, rumors of a potential split have begun to circulate. According to an ESPN analyst, Tomlin might want to leave the Steelers after this season and become the head coach of an NFC team in 2026.
Analyst Believes Mike Tomlin Could Leave Steelers for NFC Team in 2026
Tomlin is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the NFL. He led the Steelers to a Super Bowl victory in 2008, holds an impressive career record of 188-111, and has never had a losing season during his tenure in Pittsburgh.
Still, the past few years haven’t gone as planned. Even though they made the playoffs in four of the last five seasons, the Steelers were eliminated in the Wild Card round each time.
In 2025, Pittsburgh once again looked average, sitting at 5-4 through nine games. The Steelers’ offense ranks 15th in the league this season according to PFSN’s OFFi metric, while their defense also comes in at 15th in PFSN’s DEFi metric.
With the team struggling to break out of mediocrity, speculation has grown that the franchise might be considering a change and that Tomlin could be open to a new opportunity.
On ESPN’s “Get Up”, Mike Greenberg suggested that Tomlin could look to leave the Steelers this offseason to become the next head coach of the New York Giants, following the team’s decision to fire Brian Daboll.
Greenberg explained that the Giants have a roster full of young and exciting players and that their head coaching job should be one of the most sought-after openings in the NFL this offseason. He believes that if both Tomlin and the Steelers are open to parting ways at the end of the year, Tomlin would be an ideal fit in New York.
.@Espngreeny throws out Mike Tomlin’s name for the Giants’ head coaching job ✍️ pic.twitter.com/NZGNRrx4qf
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) November 11, 2025
“You’ve got Malik Nabers, you’ve got Jaxson Dart, you’ve got Abdul Carter, and a bunch of other good players,” Greenberg said. “That’s going to be the most desirable job for coaches out there, and I’m just going to throw a name into the conversation. Mike Tomlin.”
He continued, “If Mike Tomlin and the Steelers, at the end of the season, decided it was time for an amicable parting, that feels like it would be a perfect spot.”
It’s a bold prediction, but one that could make sense. Tomlin has consistently turned the Steelers into a playoff team despite an underwhelming roster.
Pittsburgh’s front office has struggled to find a franchise quarterback since the Ben Roethlisberger era. At the same time, the Giants seem to have found one in Dart, which could appeal to Tomlin, along with the other talented players Greenberg highlighted.
It’s hard to imagine Tomlin wearing anything other than black and yellow on the sideline, but the Giants’ head coaching job is undoubtedly a desirable one. It will be interesting to see if Tomlin has any interest in the role and if New York makes a push to lure him away from the Steelers.