- After stepping down as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach, Mike Tomlin could be a top candidate for a television analyst role.
- Tomlin’s direct and entertaining style has long made him a potential fit for major networks and streamers like Fox, Amazon, CBS, and NBC.
- He could offer a unique perspective on leadership and decision-making, similar to other successful coaches-turned-analysts.
- Despite numerous potential TV suitors, Tomlin could also be a candidate for one of the several head coaching vacancies in the league.
PITTSBURGH – “The standard” could be coming to a screen near you – from the analyst’s chair, not the sideline.
With Mike Tomlin stepping down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers after 19 seasons on Jan. 13, less than 24 hours after his former team was unceremoniously dismissed from the playoffs, he heads to the unemployment line the loser of seven consecutive playoff games and a Super Bowl champion. He won’t remain without work for long, should that be his wont. His next field of work is not necessarily certain, either.
For years, Tomlin has been considered (along with the Los Angeles Rams’ Sean McVay) the next head coach to make the jump from the sideline to the studio, as Tomlin’s predecessor with the Steelers, Bill Cowher, did in 2006. Tomlin’s style lends itself to television. He is direct yet entertaining, terse yet imaginative. Those in the industry who have been in production meetings with Tomlin over the last two decades have long been raving about his potential on TV. ESPN’s Adam Schefter floated the possibility within his breaking news report.
Tomlin had two years left on his contract with the Steelers and was due to make around $25 million annually. The coaching profession contains unseen tolls, long hours, infinite stress. He might not make $25 million, but he can make a healthy fraction of that at an even more significant fraction of the hours he has to put into his work.
Every network will make its pitch to Tomlin. Fox, the favorite to land Tomlin according to The Athletic, is a natural fit. Tomlin next to Michael Strahan and reminiscing with Rob Gronkowski and gelling with Howie Long is not hard to envision. The old saying is that you need a gold jacket to sit on that desk. Tomlin will wear one.
From Fox to Amazon Prime, Tomlin will have serious TV suitors
At Amazon Prime Video, the 2008 Coach of the Year winner could let his fun side loose with that cast of characters, but it’s already a pretty crowded desk with sufficiently large personalities. Joining the announcing booth, if there’s further shakeup beyond Al Michaels’ eventual retirement, makes more sense for Tomlin to take a check from Jeff Bezos.
CBS has a spot on ‘NFL Today’ opening up with Matt Ryan’s return to the Atlanta Falcons. It feels like they’re due for some booth reorganization with the emergence of T.J. Watt and continued decline of Tony Romo.
NBC needs a fresh voice on “Football Night In America” and Tomlin would bring that along with some star power. The network also has the benefit of broadcasting the Super Bowl this year, which means it owns the next high-profile event should Tomlin want a grand entrance.
A link-up with ESPN, even though Stephen A. Smith has propped himself up as a Steelers fan – imagine a “First Take” argument between SAS and Tomlin – doesn’t feel in the cards, but never say never as the “WorldWide Leader” has started throwing money at attractive talent (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pat McAfee, Smith).
Beyond catchphrases, Tomlin would bring unique perspective to TV
For 19 years, Tomlin met with the media four or five instances per week during the season. That’s a lot of time behind a microphone. He could follow a path laid by Nick Saban and Bill Belichick, both of whom have excelled in the media following (or in Belichick’s case, during) their illustrious coaching careers.
Tomlin never won at the level those two did. But he knows what greatness looks like. And the last decade or so has been a lesson in effort not matching results — Tomlin has an opportunity to explain to an audience that would listen, and maybe needs to listen, to the message that hard things are worth doing even if they don’t go your way. Yes, I want to hear about defense from Tomlin’s perspective. I also want to hear about leadership and high-stakes decision-making. It is a lane Tomlin is certainly qualified to fill.
Tomlin will have coaching opportunities in future cycles if he chooses to sit this one out. At 53 years old, he can have a lengthy second act, similar to what Andy Reid has done with the Kansas City Chiefs (from a years spent standpoint, not that hiring Tomlin guarantees a dynasty for that franchise). One factor that precludes a Tomlin transition to television is the abundance of job openings this cycle – eight, not counting the Steelers, available to Tomlin, hypothetically. At least a handful of those teams would be interested in interviewing him, at the bare minimum.
The catchphrases – the classic “the standard is the standard,” and “if my aunt had male parts she’d be my uncle” – a recent gem – are the bait for viewers. The hook, line and sinker for whichever network successfully bids for his services depends on if the producers, host and existing cast create a comfortable environment for him to be brutally honest.
That can be a challenge for fresh faces because they just left the field of battle themselves and remember what it was like to be criticized by somebody outside of the arena. The plus side is worthwhile, as the “ManningCast” reaped the benefits of Belichick’s schtick and Saban appears to be genuinely invested in the success of “GameDay.”
On Monday, Tomlin said he wasn’t using a “big-picture mentality’ about his future with the Steelers. (Logic questions the veracity of that statement given the swiftness of Tomlin’s decision.) Now he better start prepping for picture-in-picture highlight tapes and studying up on some television mechanics rather than zone-blitz packages.