Fox emerges as Mike Tomlin favorite if coach pivots to TV after stunning Steelers exit

Could Mike Tomlin soon be headed to the small screen?

Hours before he stepped down Tuesday as head coach of the Steelers, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported that networks are lining up for Tomlin and that Fox is the favorite to land him should he pivot to a media role. 

“Fox, ESPN, NBC, CBS and Amazon Prime Video would all be better with Tomlin if he wants to take a break from coaching and impart his Tomlin-isms via the small screen,” Marchand wrote. “He can likely receive multi-million dollar offers from all of them.”

Fox, specifically, has an interest in Tomlin, Marchand added. 

Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on before the game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium on January 12, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Getty Images

Tomlin, whose big personality has long been seen as an ideal fit for a television studio, could be a welcome addition to Fox’s NFL studio show, “Fox NFL Sunday,” which stars Michael Strahan, Rob Gronkowski, Howie Long and Terry Bradshaw.

The seat occupied by Jimmy Johnson has not been filled following his retirement, although Gronkowski’s presence has been elevated to a full-time capacity.

NFL insiders Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport also floated television as a likely destination for Tomlin, who coached the Pittsburgh franchise for 19 seasons.

His departure comes one day after a first-round home playoff loss to the Texans on Monday night. 

The loss extended the Steelers’ drought to nine years without a postseason win.

Tomlin, the longest-tenured coach in the league, never produced a losing season in his nearly two-decade run at the helm. He won a Super Bowl during the 2008 season.

“During our meeting today, coach Tomlin informed me that he has decided to step down as our head coach,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement released by the team.

The Fox studio show crew. @NFLonFox/YouTube

“Obviously, I am extremely grateful to Mike for all the hard work, dedication and success we have shared over the last 19 years.”

After the game on Monday, Tomlin had little comment on his future.

“I’m not even in that mindset as I sit here tonight,” Tomlin said. “I’m more in the mindset of what transpired in this stadium and certainly what we did and didn’t do. Not a big-picture mentality as I sit here tonight.”