by: Nick Kosko 6 hours ago nickkosko59
Mike Tomlin stepped down as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers and FOX emerged as the favorite to land his services for TV. The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported the major networks could all be interested, but it seems FOX NFL Sunday would be a logical landing spot to replace Jimmy Johnson’s seat.
“If Tomlin wants to pursue a career in television, Fox Sports, ESPN, NBC and CBS all will have interest, according to sources briefed on their thinking,” Marchand wrote on Twitter/X.“Fox Sports has not replaced Jimmy Johnson on its NFL Sunday show, while ESPN is gearing up for its Super Bowl coverage next season. NBC Sports may make changes to its pregame show after next month’s Super Bowl, while CBS’ ‘NFL Today’ lost Matt Ryan to the Atlanta Falcons President’s job. Amazon Prime Video does not have any openings on its Thursday Night Football show, but can’t be entirely ruled out.”
The Hall of Fame coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Hurricanes and Miami Dolphins retired from television after the 2024 season. The pregame show currently features host Curt Menefee and analysts Michael Strahan, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Rob Gronkowski .
Tomlin, 53, is out after a season which saw the Steelers win the AFC North for the first time since 2020. Pittsburgh, however, was bounced in the Wild Card Round at home by the Houston Texans, extending its playoff losing streak to seven games. The Steelers last won a postseason game in January 2017.
Tomlin preached about “the standard is the standard,” and Pittsburgh failed to meet it in recent years. With Tomlin out, the Steelers will begin their search to find just their fourth head coach since 1969.
Tomlin had been Pittsburgh’s head coach since the 2007 season. The Steelers had a winning percentage well over .600 and won a Super Bowl in 2008 under his leadership. Pittsburgh under Tomlin finished .500 or better in every season.