Following his departure as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers following the franchise’s wild card round loss to the Houston Texans, Mike Tomlin has joined NBC as a studio analyst for the network’s Sunday Night Football pregame show, Football Night in America.
On Sunday, Tomlin was officially introduced in his new role via an interview with studio host Maria Taylor.
“I just thought it was a good time for me personally. And by that, I mean just where I am in life. And I thought it was a good time for the organization, to be quite honest with you,” he told Taylor.
“We didn’t have a lot of success in the playoffs in recent years. And there’s just some veteran players there, man, guys like Cam Hayward and T.J. Watt and Boswell, man, that I thought just that were worthy of the excitement and the optimism associated with new leadership.”
Those veterans have their new leader in veteran coach and Pittsburgh native Mike McCarthy, who signed a five-year contract as the Steelers’ new head coach. What’s less clear is who McCarthy’s starting quarterback will be in his first season with the team. Although he has spoken highly of second-year talent Will Howard, and Pittsburgh drafted former Penn State star Drew Allar in the third round of the 2026 draft, he has made it clear he’d love for four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers to return.
Rodgers led the Steelers to the AFC North title last year, his first in the Steel City. However, the former Super Bowl champion is deciding whether to return for another season or call it a career and start the clock on his eligibility for the Hall of Fame.
For Tomlin’s money, Rodgers will be back.
“Can you tell me who you believe will be the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers next season?” Taylor asked.
“Man, if you got a gun to my head, I’d say it’s AR. I just think— Aaron, I just think being around him for the 12 months that I’m around him, he got a love affair with the game of football. And not only the game, but the process, the informal moments, the development of younger guys, the interaction with teammates,” Tomlin said.
“I think he has an addiction to that, and there’s only one way to feed it. And certainly he is still capable, um, and in really good shape. And so I think at the end of the day, he’ll play football.”
Last offseason, Rodgers didn’t sign on with Pittsburgh until just before the start of mandatory minicamp. Steelers fans may have to wait just as long to find out whether Tomlin got to know Rodgers as well as he believes in their lone season together.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.