Following his 19-year stint as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin has joined NBC’s Football Night in America crew as a studio analyst. After debuting to rave reviews in his new role ahead of the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame game, Tomlin made his first regular-season studio appearance on Wednesday for the season-opening New England Patriots-Seattle Seahawks game.
Seattle won 13-10, and Tomlin joined Maria Taylor, Devin McCourty and Jason Garrett for NBC’s post-game coverage, where he previewed his former team’s upcoming game against the Atlanta Falcons.
“You know (Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers) so well,” Taylor said to Tomlin. “He said this is his final season; they’ll be hosting the Falcons to start out the season. What do you expect to see from him?”
Tomlin drew on his 19 years of experience in the Steel City, in which he never posted a losing season, for his analysis.
“You know, it’s less about Aaron for me, and it’s more about the quarterback on the other side. His last visit to Pittsburgh didn’t go well. I was in the stadium that day; they lost, he got benched. And so I think it’s going to be a good day for Mike McCarthy, Patrick Graham, and the Pittsburgh Steelers and company.”
Mike Tomlin on Falcons-Steelers:
“It’s less about Aaron (Rodgers) for me, and it’s more about the quarterback on the other side (Tua Tagovailoa). His last visit to Pittsburgh didn’t go well. I was in the stadium that day. They lost. He got benched.”pic.twitter.com/DQVRmuuzg7
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 10, 2026
He concluded, “I’m gonna go with the Steelers.”
Tomlin is referencing last year’s Steelers-Miami Dolphins game in Pittsburgh, a Steelers win that eliminated Miami from the playoffs and was also current Falcons starter Tua Tagovailoa’s last start for the Dolphins. Ironically, Tagovailoa performed admirably despite being beleaguered by Pittsburgh’s defensive line throughout the game, finishing 22-for-28 passing for 253 yards and tossing two touchdowns against an interception.
Although his analysis might still be coming from behind black-and-yellow-tinted glasses, Tomlin has made it clear he’s enjoying his transition to the media side of the NFL. Still, he isn’t completely ruling out a return to coaching in the right circumstance.
“It’s certainly not a 32-team league for me, but I’ve also learned to never say never,” Tomlin told Cris and Jac Collinsworth on Pro Football Focus. “I love to coach. I love all the challenges of the profession. I love to be a part of growth and development of young people individually. I love the measurement of the seven-day cycle, but also have enjoyed, man, the last six months life on this other side that I had no idea about.”
Tagovailoa suffered an oblique injury at practice on Thursday, meaning Cooper Rush may very well be in line to start,
regardless of what Tomlin actually intended by his comments.
The post Mike Tomlin chides Tua Tagovailoa ahead of Falcons-Steelers game appeared first on Awful Announcing.
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