Mike Tomlin Predicts Steelers’ Next Starting QB and Opens Up About Stepping Down as Head Coach
Three months after Mike Tomlin shocked Steelers Nation with his January resignation, the man who never posted a losing season finally explained what drove the decision — and predicted who he thinks will be under center next.
Speaking with NBC’s Maria Taylor during an NBA pregame show, Tomlin described a choice that was neither sudden nor simple.
“It was probably not an overnight decision, but it’s probably not something I could articulate or share with people,” Tomlin said during the April 26 interview. “There’s a loneliness with leadership. I just thought it was a good time for me, personally. And what I mean by that is just where I am in life.
“And I thought it was a good time for the organization, to be quite honest with you,” he added. “We didn’t have a lot of success in the playoffs in recent years. There’s just some veteran players there — guys like Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt and [Chris] Boswell — that were worthy of the excitement and the optimism associated with new leadership.”
What Mike Tomlin Said About Heyward, Watt and Boswell
Tomlin named three franchise pillars and said they deserve a fresh start he could no longer provide. The acknowledgment that recent playoff failures weren’t on the roster’s stars will resonate with fans who watched the Steelers finish the 2025-2026 season with a 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans at home during the Wild Card Round.
After that game, Tomlin offered a raw assessment.
“When you don’t get it done, words are cheap,” Tomlin said. “It’s about what you do or you don’t do. And so, I appreciate the question, but people talk too much in our business. You either do or you don’t.”
He informed the players of his decision earlier that day in January before releasing his formal statement.
Mike Tomlin Predicts Rodgers as Steelers’ Starting QB
Asked to predict who would be the Steelers’ quarterback this season, Tomlin didn’t hesitate.
“Man, if you had a gun to my head, I’d say it’s [Aaron Rodgers],” Tomlin said. “Being around him for the 12 months I was around him, he’s got a love affair with the game of football. Not only the game, but the process. The informal moments. The development of younger guys. The connections with teammates. I think he’s got an addiction to that and there’s only one way to feed it. Certainly he is still capable and in really good shape. So I think at the end of the day, he’ll play football.”
That endorsement carries real weight. Tomlin spent a year around Rodgers and saw a player still driven by the daily grind. For fans debating whether Rodgers has enough left, this is as close to an insider scouting report as you’ll get from someone who was in the building.
Aaron Rodgers Pushed Back on Tomlin’s Departure
When Tomlin stepped down, Rodgers didn’t just pay respects — he challenged the idea that a change was needed.
“Mike T. has had more success than damn near anybody in the league for the last 19, 20 years,” Rodgers said. “And more than that, though, when you have the right guy and the culture is right, you don’t think about making a change, but there’s a lot of pressure that comes from the outside, and obviously that sways decisions from time to time.”
“But it’s not how I would do things and not how the league used to be.”
That kind of vocal defense from the NFL veteran many expect to be under center this fall tells you something about the culture Tomlin built and the respect he still commands inside that locker room.
Mike Tomlin’s New Gig and Life After Coaching
Tomlin has already landed his next role, joining NBC Sports’ Football Night in America as a studio analyst.
“I just thought it would be a great way to stay connected to the game and the awesome people in it — the players, the coaches, the executives,” Tomlin said. “Excited to be doing that on Sunday night and traveling to different venues and getting that feel for the environment. Lastly, I just thought it would be awesome to share insight with fellow football lovers.”
He also described watching the recent NFL draft at a cigar bar with friends — his first time in 20 years as a bystander.
“Supposedly watching the draft, but you start telling war stories and so forth, the draft’s watching you,” Tomlin revealed. “But it was fun to watch it through a different lens. And when you’re not on the clock, you can just appreciate what a significant moment that is for the young people. And so to watch those guys get drafted, man, and live out a component of their dreams. Now we all know now the work starts, but that was a big night for those guys and it’s just fun to just watch it from that perspective.”
Mike Tomlin’s Record in Pittsburgh
Tomlin became the Steelers’ head coach for the 2007 season and compiled a 193-114-2 regular-season record. The Steelers reached the playoffs in 13 of his 19 seasons, winning eight AFC North titles and one Super Bowl victory in 2009. He never finished a season with a losing record.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
