Steelers Now
If Mike Tomlin wants to coach in the NFL in the 2026 season after resigning from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday, his former team will have a large say in the matter.
Tomlin remains under contract with the Steelers through the end of the 2026 season. If he wants to coach somewhere else after resigning, he would have to work out a trade between a new club and the Steelers.
That’s the same thing that happened when the Denver Broncos hired Sean Payton in 2023, one year after he had stepped down as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints.
The Broncos ended up sending a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick to the Saints, in exchange for Payton and a 2024 third-round pick.
While the Steelers currently have Tomlin under contract through the end of the 2026 season, there is also a team option clause in his contract for the 2027 season that must be exercised by March. It’s not clear if the Steelers have already or would exercise that option with Tomlin having resigned.
Many times, veteran head coaches like Tomlin have taken a year off before accepting another job, as Payton did, skipping the 2022 season. Mike Vrabel did the same thing after he was fired by the Tennessee Titans in 2024, before returning with the New England Patriots this season.
If the Steelers could get some draft picks for Tomlin, that would certainly be a boost toward the team’s ongoing rebuild.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Retain Mike Tomlin’s Rights after Resignation, Could Force Trade
