With Mike Tomlin Joining NBC Football Night, What’s Next For The Steelers?

Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin will join the Football Night in America pregame show on NBC.

Tomlin stepped down as the Steelers’ head coach on Jan. 13. Three months later, he announced his next career path.

Football Night in America has been NBC’s pregame show for Sunday Night Football since 2006. The show is filmed at NBC headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, with a sideline reporter providing coverage at the game. 

Some of their notable personalities include Mike Florio, Jason Garrett, Steve Kornacki, Devin McCourty, Chris Simms, Maria Taylor, Jac Collinsworth and Rodney Harrison. 

Garrett, like Tomlin, is a former head coach. His most notable work was as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys from 2011 to 2019. He was named the NFL Coach of the Year in 2019. His last coaching job was as the New York Giants offensive coordinator from 2020-2021.

Tomlin got his first coaching job just a year after graduating from William & Mary. VMI, a Division I FCS team, hired him as its wide receivers coach. The Steelers hired Tomlin before the 2007 season. He won Super Bowl XLIII with the Steelers, defeating the Arizona Cardinals.

Tomlin’s last playoff win was in 2016, when the Steelers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs. However, the Steelers never had a losing record with Tomlin as head coach. 

Former head coaches like Tomlin and Garrett provide a unique perspective on game coverage. First, they understand scheming better than any other analysts. Second, they also have a strong understanding of how difficult it can be to keep players composed in big moments. 

Last year, the Steelers played in three Sunday Night Football games. This included their Week 18 game against the Baltimore Ravens. Both teams were tied in the standings, with the winner securing a playoff spot. The Steelers narrowly won 26-24 after Ravens kicker Tyler Loop missed a game-winning field goal.