Why Mike Tomlin is joining NBC's 'Sunday Night Football' coverage after Steelers departure

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Why Mike Tomlin is joining NBC's 'Sunday Night Football' coverage after Steelers departure originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is taking the season off from coaching, but he won't be sitting on the sidelines for all of 2026.

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Tomlin is joining NBC's "Sunday Night Football" panel this season, jumping into the media world after 19 seasons and two Super Bowl appearances in Pittsburgh.

Many are wondering whether the 54-year-old Tomlin would coach again, but reports after he stepped down as coach of the Steelers indicated he doesn't have any immediate plans to get back on the sideline. That means he could become a long-term fixture in prime-time as an analyst.

Here's what you need to know about Tomlin's decision to join the "Sunday Night Football."

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Why Mike Tomlin is joining NBC

Despite Fox reportedly showing interest in Tomlin after his exit in Pittsburgh, the longtime coach decided to join NBC's "Sunday Night Football" pregame and halftime panel. 

Tomlin joins NBC as the network reshuffles its "Sunday Night Football" panel. While the booth of Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth will remain untouched, Tony Dungy won't return in his role as a studio analyst while the futures of Rodney Harrison, Jac Collinsworth and Chris Simms are also up in the air, according to The Athletic.

Tomlin is set to be part of a group that includes Maria Taylor, Jason Garrett and Devin McCourty.

The Athletic reported Fox was a strong candidate for Tomlin because of his close relationship with Jay Glazer, but with Fox and CBS potentially facing renegotiations of their broadcast deals with the NFL, NBC was better positioned to spend big, the outlet said.

"The threat of adding hundreds of millions, or even a billion, more to what it pays the NFL has made some networks a little hesitant to shell out even more money for personalities," The Athletic's Andrew Marchand said.

While Tomlin's new deal isn't clear, the report indicates NBC was able to offer him the most lucrative package, aided by the reshuffling of its "Sunday Night Football" panel.

Tomlin also spoke to Maria Taylor about joining the NBC team during NBA Showtime. 

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Mike Tomlin NBC contract

Tomlin's contract details with NBC have not yet been reported. Given he was reportedly a popular candidate for multiple networks and didn't necessarily need to jump into broadcasting immediately after leaving coaching, it likely took a major offer from NBC to land Tomlin.

It isn't known whether the deal runs for multiple years. While the safe assumption is that it does, it might not stave off speculation about a return to coaching for Tomlin at the end of the 2026 season, regardless of whether or not he actually plans on entertaining offers from NFL teams.

Tomlin's predecessor in Pittsburgh, Bill Cowher, joined CBS Sports in a similar role after his retirement 19 years ago and never returned to coaching despite numerous rumors early in his tenure with the network. 

How old is Mike Tomlin?

Tomlin is 54 years old; he won't turn 55 until March of 2027.

While Tomlin is much older than some of the NFL's youngest head coaches, he is young enough that coaching speculation will follow him for the foreseeable future if he remains away from the sideline,

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