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brooke prior
multiple authors
In his first interview after resigning as coach of pittsburgh steelers In February, Mike Tomlin told NBC’s Maria Taylor that he left due to a lack of recent playoff success and a belief that some of his veterans were “undeserving of the excitement and optimism associated with new leadership.”
“It’s probably not a decision made overnight,” Tomlin told Taylor during an interview that aired Sunday night. “But it’s probably not something I can express or share with people. There’s a loneliness with the leadership. I thought it was a good time for me personally. And by that I mean where I am in life. And I thought it was a good time for the organization, to be honest with you. We haven’t had a lot of success in the playoffs in recent years.”
The Steelers have not won a playoff game since 2016.
In the interview, NBC officially announced that Tomlin was joining the network as an analyst on its Sunday night pregame show, “Football Night in America”. Normally a studio show, “Football Night in America” will be in the stadium every week this coming season, which means if the Steelers are in the prime-time slot on Sunday night, Tomlin will almost certainly be on hand.
Tomlin explained his decision to go into broadcasting, saying, “I thought it would be a great way to stay connected to the game and the amazing people in it, players, coaches, officials, and I’m excited to do that on Sunday nights and travel to different places and get a feel for the environment.”
“And finally, I thought it would be great to share insights with fellow football lovers. I love talking about football. And so that’s just an exciting component to me. I have to admit, though, there’s going to be some anxiety about stepping into a new place, but good anxiety. It’s good to be uncomfortable, to have growth associated with it. And so man, I’m excited about it.”
In his first analysis for NBC, Tomlin says he believes aaron rodgers — who has not yet announced whether he will play this season — will be the Steelers’ quarterback in 2026.
“Man, if you put a gun to my head, I’d say it’s an AR,” Tomlin said. “I just think, Aaron, I just think that over the 12 months that I’ve been around him, he’s fallen in love with the game of football and not only the game, but the process, the informal moments, the development of young guys, the interactions with teammates. I think he’s got an addiction to it, and there’s only one way to feed that. And obviously he’s still capable and in really good shape. And so I think at the end of the day, he’ll play football.”
Tomlin was a spectator of the just completed NFL Draft for the first time in two decades. He said that instead of sitting in the war room, he watched it from the cigar bar with some friends.
“Supposedly watching the draft, but you start telling war stories and all that, the draft is watching you,” Tomlin said, laughing. “But it was fun to see it through a different lens. And when you’re not on the clock, you can just appreciate what an important moment it is for young guys. And so to see those guys get ready, man, and live out a component of their dreams. Now we all know the work starts now, but that was a big night for those guys and it’s fun to see it from that perspective.”
