Ideal Landing Spots for Mike Tomlin if Steelers, Coach Were to Split in 2026

Mike Tomlin has been the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2007, and he's never led the franchise to a sub-.500 record. However, his future with the team has never appeared murkier.

Despite landing quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the offseason, the Steelers aren't much better offensively than they were in 2024. Pittsburgh has lost an early grip on the AFC North via five losses in its last seven games. During Sunday's embarrassing loss to the Buffalo Bills, fans at Acrisure Stadium openly called for Tomlin to be fired.

None of this means the Steelers will actually fire the 53-year-old after the season. However, Pittsburgh hasn't won a playoff game since 2016, and some change might benefit all involved.

Of course, if Tomlin does become available, he'll have no shortage of suitors in the NFL world.

Could Tomlin Really Leave Pittsburgh After the Season?

AP PhotoGene J. Puskar

Mike Tomlin

There are two types of teams that would likely pursue Tomlin if he were to become available: Those with openings and those that view him as a significant upgrade over who's in place.

For those teams, the obvious question is whether he really could become available in 2026. The Steelers don't fire coaches, and Tomlin hasn't exactly dragged Pittsburgh to the NFL basement. However, the recent lack of playoff success is glaring.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Tomlin is far more likely to walk away than get fired. Schefter recently said the following on SportsCenter (h/t Bleacher Report's Joseph Zucker):

"The question is, does Mike Tomlin want to walk away? And he hasn't in the past. And he gets to stay in that job as long as he wants, he's almost tenured in that particular job. He does look a little tired. He does look a little worn by the way this season has gone."

Any speculation on Tomlin's future could become moot if Pittsburgh rallies, wins the AFC North and pushes deep into the postseason. However, Aaron Rodgers isn't a long-term answer at quarterback. Other Steelers stars, like Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt, are getting older too.

There is a scenario in which Tomlin decides he's never going to recapture the playoff glory he had earlier in his career with the Steelers. If he does choose to leave, he'll likely do so in search of a sunnier long-term outlook than the one currently hanging over Pittsburgh.

Tomlin would have to find a way out of his contract, which runs through 2027, or convince a team to trade for his rights, as the Denver Broncos did for Sean Payton in 2023. His exit, though, is far from an impossibility.

New York Giants

AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Giants QB Jaxson Dart

Two franchises are already set to have openings in 2026. The Tennessee Titans and New York Giants fired Brian Callahan and Brian Daboll, respectively, in-season and should already be leafing through the list of candidates.

Of these two franchises, New York certainly feels like the better opportunity. Jaxson Dart and Cam Ward are both promising rookie quarterbacks, but the Giants appear to have more young building blocks on their roster.

The Steelers have their own rookie QB in Will Howard, though they have no idea of how he'll actually perform in an NFL game yet.

Tennessee has surrounded Ward with one of the league's most lackluster supporting casts, while New York has intriguing pieces around Dart. Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo may be out for the year, but they can form a strong trio with Dart moving forward.

The Giants also have some solid defensive contributors—like Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns and Abdul Carter—who should appeal to Tomlin and his defensive background.

Plus, the opportunity to return one of the league's premier franchises to relevance and potentially cement a Hall of Fame career would be hard to ignore.

Miami Dolphins

AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa

Other jobs will inevitably become open between now and January. The Miami Dolphins' gig may or may not be one of them.

The Dolphins already fired general manager Chris Grier, but head coach Mike McDaniel and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa could remain in Miami's long-term plans—though franchise owner Stephen Ross seems to be on the fence about it.

"The best theory I've heard so far suggests Ross wants to wait until after the 2026 season before deciding whether a full franchise reset—new coach, new GM, new quarterback—is the way to go," The Athletic's Mike Sando wrote.

If Ross fires McDaniel, there's a good chance he moves off of Tagovailoa as well. The Dolphins' starter won't fit many offensive systems, and he's underwhelmed recently in McDaniel's—and that's without even getting into his injury history.

While a middling AFC East team without a solid quarterback plan isn't necessarily a "better" situation than the one Tomlin has in Pittsburgh, the Dolphins' opportunity could be attractive for two reasons.

For one, Miami may end up in a better position to draft a quarterback highly than the perennially above-.500 Steelers—though the Dolphins would pick just two spots ahead of the Steelers if the season ended today.

Secondly, the Dolphins won't be bringing back a general manager like the Giants apparently will. While Tomlin may have no interest in working with/for Joe Schoen in New York, he could, theoretically, push Miami to hire a GM with whom he does want to work.

Miami is projected to be up against the 2026 salary cap, but it could release both Tagovailoa and aging receiver Tyreek Hill with post-June 1 designations and net around $25 million in extra cap space.

After slogging through nearly two decades of Pittsburgh winters, Tomlin might like the idea of overseeing a rebuild in South Florida.

Las Vegas Raiders

AP Photo/Jeff Lewis

Raiders TE Brock Bowers

The Las Vegas Raiders may not need a full-on reset as badly as the Dolphins. They've been one of the worst teams in the NFL this season, but they have cornerstone-type players like Brock Bowers, Maxx Crosby, Kolton Miller and Ashton Jeanty.

Head coach Pete Carroll's inability to maximize Las Vegas' talent in Year 1 already has him on the hot seat, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

If Carroll is indeed out in five weeks, the Raiders' next coach could be inheriting the skeleton of a competitive roster, along with an opportunity to target one of next year's top quarterback prospects.

If the season ended today, Las Vegas would own the fourth overall pick in the draft. With the Titans and Giants—teams that just used first-round selections on QBs—likely picking before them, the Raiders could make a move for their preferred target.

The Steelers simply aren't going to have a shot at a prospect like Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore without expending a massive amount of draft capital to move up from the middle of Round 1.

The biggest potential roadblock to this pairing might be the presence of minority owner Tom Brady. After dealing with one of the league's most hands-off owners in Art Rooney II, Tomlin may not want to deal with an owner who appears to have his hands in everything.

However, the Raiders would almost certainly give Tomlin a hero's welcome, and with a high draft slot and the second-most projected cap space in the NFL, Las Vegas could improve its roster in a hurry.

Cincinnati Bengals

AP Photo/Nick Wass

Bengals QB Joe Burrow

Barring a surprise, the Cincinnati Bengals probably won't fire Zac Taylor after the season.

Cincinnati is a notoriously cheap franchise, and it isn't likely to pay the 42-year-old to go away before his contract ends after the 2026 season.

A surprise could come in the form of Tomlin becoming available, though. He's continued to get results in Pittsburgh despite having a mess at quarterback, while Taylor has consistently underachieved despite having one of the league's premier passers.

Yes, Joe Burrow is injury-prone, but Taylor's 9-30 record without his starting QB is alarming.

It's hard not to think that replacing Taylor with Tomlin wouldn't make the Bengals instantly better. And of the teams that might fire their current head coach to have a shot at Tomlin, Cincinnati should be the most attractive to him.

Tomlin could essentially focus on retooling the defense while allowing Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Chase Brown and the rest of Cincinnati's playmakers to do what they do best for whomever he hires as the offensive coordinator—and Tomlin wouldn't struggle to find a capable coordinator willing to coach that group.

While the Bengals' defense does need significant work, Tomlin would be inheriting an elite signal-caller and a top-tier offensive skill group. He'd have a chance to chase another Super Bowl in Cincinnati, and he'd return to the city where he spent the final two years of his collegiate coaching career.

The NFL Media

AP Photo/Fred Vuich

Mike Tomlin

We already mentioned Tomlin might have to follow the Sean Payton path and convince another franchise to trade for his rights. However, that might not be the only way in which Tomlin follows Payton's career arc.

If Tomlin isn't satisfied with this year's crop of coaching openings—or if he just wants a break after handling the Steelers day-to-day for 19 years—a broadcasting job of some form or another might be his truly ideal landing spot.

Tomlin has always provided clear, informative and often entertaining press conferences, and he'd be a natural fit for a pre-game studio show or other color-analyst role.

Payton retired from the New Orleans Saints after the 2021 season, spent the 2022 season as a studio analyst for Fox and then returned to coaching in 2023 to take the Denver job.

Tomlin could use a similar stint as a mental break from coaching and/or a chance to find a job he covets more than what's available in 2026. Alternatively, he might choose to stay in the media as a lucrative secondary career.

With Hall of Fame-caliber credentials and a high profile, Tomlin would find no shortage of television and streaming suitors who would probably pay handsomely for his services.

Though he's been coaching since 1995, Tomlin is only 53 years old and is going to find football-related opportunities long after his Steelers tenure ends—whenever that might be.