The future of Mike Tomlin will be a hot topic in the upcoming days. The legendary Pittsburgh Steelers coach decided to step down after almost two decades, following a Wild Card Round loss to the Houston Texans. Tomlin has been approached by teams, but he’s likely to be away from the league in 2026.
Kevin Durant Hopes To See Mike Tomlin in the NFL Media
There are expectations that, due to his manners and easy way to explain the game, he could end up working in the media for the 2026 season. For NBA superstar Kevin Durant, who recently made an appearance on the “Up & Adams Show,” Tomlin explaining the game on TV would be an excellent view:
“I would love to see him on Monday Night Football […] in the studio. I just like seeing coaches in the studio. I would love to see him [there]. I love what Jon Gruden does on YouTube, he breaks down the game in detail. I would love to see him do something like that. Bill Belichick did that before he went to UNC. I love coaches, strategy behind sports, I try to watch that stuff as much as I can.”
Mike Tomlin ➡️ Monday Night Football?
KD says let’s make it happen 📢@KDTrey5 | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/mOIp5F11X4
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) January 15, 2026
In his career, Tomlin is known for being a great leader and teacher of the game. Just as Bill Belichick did during the 2024 season, fans would have the opportunity to learn from one of the best coaches of the century. Even if it’s just for a season, this would be must-watch TV.
The coach decided to leave the Pittsburgh Steelers at the end of the 2025 season. He led the franchise for almost two decades, taking over as head coach in 2007. He won Super Bowl 43 in just his second year on the job; he also led the Steelers to Super Bowl 45, where they lost to the Green Bay Packers.
There were signs that Tomlin’s methods had stagnated within the Steelers. His most impressive feature was not having a single negative record in his 19 seasons. However, he failed to lead the team to a playoff win since the 2016 season, with many first-round losses ever since.
A fresh start could be the best for the two sides. The Steelers failed to have a strong offense since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh’s franchise quarterback for over a decade under Tomlin’s leadership. According to PFSN’s NFL Offense Impact Metric, the Steelers had the No. 14 offense in 2025.
