Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin officially started his new role as an NFL analyst for NBC during Thursday night's Hall of Fame game between the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers in Canton, Ohio. Viewers were instantly impressed with the 54-year-old coach's debut on television.
Tomlin stepped down from his job with the Pittsburgh Steelers back in January after 19 seasons in charge. Almost every network coveted the Super Bowl champion, but NBC won the race to sign him for the upcoming season. He will serve as the lead analyst on NBC's flagship Sunday pregame show, Football Night in America.
During Thursday night's broadcast, Tomlin worked alongside host Maria Taylor, former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, and Devin McCourty. The team will work together on primetime Sunday Night Football games in the coming months. Tomlin started with a flourish, interviewing Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young before the game and appearing at ease while discussing this year's Hall of Fame class.
Viewer reactions and Super Bowl predictions
During the coverage, Tomlin tipped the Los Angeles Rams to win the Super Bowl in February. As a former AFC North head coach, he also hailed their move to sign defensive powerhouse Aaron Donald from the Cleveland Browns.
Viewers quickly went to social media to heap praise on Tomlin, with one describing him as made for TV. Another user commented: "Mike this is your rest of life job man. You built for this.. going to enjoy SNF with Tomlin." A third posted: "Mike Tomlin is a natural with the microphone in this fashion. He's going to be making big bucks doing this in no time." Another fan declared: "Mike Tomlin is going to be great at this."
Praise continued across social media as another viewer wrote: "Mike Tomlin is tremendous on NBC. Incredible. I can't get enough. He's must see TV." One fan admitted: "No way Mike Tomlin is this good on TV already but I'm not surprised." Another viewer added: "Mike Tomlin is talking on my TV and this makes me very happy. I'm excited to see him grow in this new broadcaster analyst role. You know he will keep it real."
Network interest and Steelers background
Fox, which is paying Tom Brady $375million over 10 years to call games, reportedly showed interest in Tomlin as a replacement for Jimmy Johnson. However, NBC has been busy refreshing its roster this offseason, having overhauled its pregame shows and parted ways with NFL legend Tony Dungy last month after 17 seasons on the air.
To handle his media career, Tomlin signed with veteran sports media agent Sandy Montag's agency. Montag previously represented John Madden and manages on-air talent including Mike Tirico, Jim Nantz, Scott Van Pelt, James Brown, and Dick Vitale.
Tomlin walked away from coaching after the Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a disappointing playoff exit against the Houston Texans in January. Tomlin, who won the Lombardi Trophy with the Steelers at the end of the 2008 season, ensured the franchise never had a losing season while he was in charge. However, the team experienced a frustrating lack of playoff success, last winning a postseason game in 2016.
The Steelers lost 30-6 to the Houston Texans in January's wild card round, marking seven straight playoff losses, which is the longest active streak in the league. The franchise replaced Tomlin with Mike McCarthy, another Super Bowl-winning coach, while quarterback Aaron Rodgers returned for what will be his final season.
Reasons for leaving coaching
After stepping down, Tomlin told his players he would take a break from coaching, and he did not interview for any NFL job openings this offseason. He addressed his departure during an interview with Maria Taylor back in April, admitting he grew tired of the loneliness that comes with being a head coach.
"It's probably not an overnight decision, but it's probably not something that I can articulate or share with people," Tomlin said. "There is a loneliness with leadership. I just thought it was a good time for me personally, and by that I just mean where I am in life. And I thought it was a good time for the organization, to be quite honest with you."
