Mike Tomlin Discusses Steelers Exit, Aaron Rodgers' NFL Future in New Video After NBC Contract

Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin will be a part of NBC's broadcasting team for its Sunday Night Football coverage.

On Sunday, he spoke with Maria Taylor about his decision to walk away from the Steelers.

"It probably was not an overnight decision," he said. "It's not something I could articulate or share with people. There's a loneliness with leadership. 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. We didn't have a lot of success in the playoffs in recent years, and there's just some veteran players there, guys like Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt and Chris Boswell, that I just thought were worthy of the excitement and the optimism associated with new leadership."

As for who will play quarterback in Pittsburgh next season, Tomlin believes it will be Aaron Rodgers.

"I just think being around him for the 12 months that I was around him, he has a love affair with the game of football," he said. "And not only the game, but the process. The informal moments. The development of younger guys. The interaction with teammates. I think he has an addiction to that, and there's only one way to feed it. And certainly he is still capable, and in really good shape. So I think, at the end of the day, he'll play football."

Tomlin, 54, was 193-114-2 in 19 seasons as Pittsburgh's head coach, winning a Super Bowl title and reaching the playoffs 13 times. He was one of the most successful coaches of his generation, though the Steelers haven't won a playoff game since 2016.

It felt like it might be time for a new voice in the room, and Tomlin didn't pursue other coaching opportunities, instead choosing to go the media route (at least for the next year).

He was replaced in Pittsburgh by Mike McCarthy, who has just one playoff victory in his last seven coaching seasons. McCarthy previously coached the Green Bay Packers (2006-18) and Dallas Cowboys (2020-24).

Whether McCarthy will be reunited with Rodgers in Pittsburgh remains one of the enduring and unresolved storylines of the NFL offseason.