Even prior to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Wild Card round loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday, there has been no shortage of speculation regarding Mike Tomlin’s future with the franchise.
But while such speculation has included the possibilities of Tomlin taking over the Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Chargers or even becoming the next big sports media free agent, Mike Francesa has now suggested another possibility for the Super Bowl-winning head coach.
“You know that if Tomlin wants to be back, he will be back in Pittsburgh,” Francesa said on The Mike Francesa Podcast. “The question is, does he finally want to — which many coaches do — take a year off and just kind of decompose a little bit. Settle down.”
Mike Francesa discusses the possibility that Steelers HC Mike Tomlin will take a year off to decompose.
A bit extreme, but it could work. pic.twitter.com/RqfyauVfBj
— Funhouse (@BackAftaThis) January 16, 2024
Presumably, the Sports Pope meant to say “decompress,” as the idea of Tomlin decomposing seems premature. While spending 17 seasons as the head coach of an NFL team would take a toll on anyone, the former William & Mary wide receiver is still just 51 years young and seemingly in pretty good health.
As for what’s actually next for Tomlin, that remains unclear. But speculation regarding his uncertain future in Pittsburgh has only ramped up after he walked out of his postgame press conference on Monday following a question about that very subject.
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1747064101791060323
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.