Mike Tomlin’s future has been widely speculated about in recent weeks. That speculation will intensify now that the Pittsburgh Steelers have been eliminated from the NFL playoffs.
The Steelers lost badly at home to the Houston Texans 30-6 in their AFC wild-card playoff game on Monday night. The team went 10-7 and won their division, and Tomlin still has another year left on his contract with the Steelers. There has been talk that Tomlin could take a TV job rather than return to the Steelers next year.
Peter Schrager is a longtime NFL reporter who began with FOX for many years and has since gone to work for ESPN. During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, Schrager predicted that if Tomlin were to take a TV job, it would be with FOX.
Schrager said that Tomlin is friends with FOX NFL reporter Jay Glazer. The two apparently hang out together at a party thrown by Glazer at the NFL owners’ meetings each year.
“In that back corner, it’s Glaze and Tomlin, just sitting at the top of the table. And it’s Tomlin, just the king of the castle. That’s a real relationship. And when you bring in the history with John Lynch and Ronde Barber, FOX makes sense. Not that I’m playing the agent for Mike Tomlin or anything,” Schrager said.
Tomlin has been the head coach for the Steelers since 2007. He has won the AFC North eight times and won the Super Bowl in his second season. He famously has never had a losing season, but the big knock is that the Steelers have been 1-and-done in the playoffs for six straight seasons. And the team hasn’t just been knocked out in the wild-card round for five straight seasons; they’ve been blown out in those games.
There is no guarantee Tomlin won’t return to Pittsburgh. But if he chooses to get a TV job, watch out for him heading to FOX, according to Schrager. We know how Aaron Rodgers feels about where Tomlin should go.
