After 29 seasons as the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin stepped down and is entering the media word as an NFL analyst with NBC Sports.
But given Tomlin’s success in the NFL and the fact that he didn’t retire, rumors are going to swirl surrounding Tomlin anytime a high-profile job becomes available. While Tomlin appears happy with his new role, he did reveal the one young quarterback he would love to coach right now.
No, it’s not Joe Burrow or Lamar Jackson, two quarterbacks he saw a lot of when he was with the Steelers. It’s Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen, who Tomlin said is “built for this” during an appearance on the PFF NFL Show.
While Allen is 30 and probably isn’t considered a “young quarterback” anymore, it’s tough to an argue with Tomlin’s choice. Over the last six years, Allen has emerged as arguably the best quarterback in the NFL. He’s won the 2024 NFL MVP and has been a candidate for the award for the last 5-6 seasons.
Whether Tomlin actually gets a chance to coach Allen, however, seems pretty unlikely. While Tomlin stepped away from the Steelers, the head coach is reportedly still under contract with the team. He can’t simply put his name in the hat if the Bills’ job suddenly becomes available. The Steelers — which still hold Tomlin’s coaching rights — would have to trade him away.
As for the Buffalo Bills, they likely won’t be in the market for a new head coach as the team hired offensive coordinator Joe Brady as their head coach after surprisingly firing Sean McDermott in January. Brady will presumably get a few seasons in the role before the team moves on … unless things really collapse under his leadership.
