Though the national media has accepted that Mike Tomlin is staying in Pittsburgh in 2025, questions linger how much longer he’ll remain with the Steelers. With the heat turned up following another failed, one-and-done playoff season, Rich Eisen has joined the likes of Ryan Clark to suggest Tomlin should take the Andy Reid career path. Talented coach whose done all he can in his original head coaching city and a change of scenery could jump-start a stagnant career.
Discussing Reid’s future on the Overreaction Monday podcast with co-host Chris Brockman, Eisen made a quick reference to Tomlin’s outlook, too. Eisen walked through Reid’s career in Philadelphia, one that started out hot but faded as Reid faced increasing criticism for being unable to get the job done. Eventually, he was pushed out and landed on his feet in Kansas City. Now he is poised to make the Chiefs the first three-peat champs in Super Bowl history.
Eisen thinks Tomlin should consider the same.
“It is in my estimation the personification of a road map that’s placed in front of Mike Tomlin to say, ‘Do you want to find your next spot out of the state of Pennsylvania to continue on your path?'” Eisen told Brockman. “Because, take a look at this guy.”
Reid bottomed out with the Eagles more than Tomlin has with the Steelers, missing the playoffs in each of his final two seasons. But like Tomlin, he struggled to find success after an early playoff run, failing to win in the postseason across his final four years.
Pushed out of Philadelphia, Reid immediately landed a job with the Chiefs in 2013. He’s had a winning record each season, and the Chiefs have become perennial Super Bowl contenders since landing Patrick Mahomes. Reid now owns three rings and has been to the big game six times, including Sunday against those Eagles.
Like Reid, Tomlin would be out of a job for about eight minutes before being hired. Every team in the NFL with a vacancy would line up with blank checks and some with head coaches would probably consider dumping them to hire Tomlin. A fresh start could do Tomlin a lot of good though as has been the case in Pittsburgh, he’ll need a quarterback to work with. Still, he’s a culture-builder who creates teams with high floors, attractive to franchises consistently losing with no way out.
Though Eisen didn’t directly connect the dots, could the Chiefs think about Tomlin as Reid’s eventual replacement? If Reid coaches a couple more years, his timeline could align with the rest of Tomlin’s recent extension. Reid and Tomlin are on opposite spectrums, Reid an offensive mind, Tomlin defensive-focused, but the Chiefs could try to strike twice with the same type of hire. Well-respected, overall successful coach starting over. Tomlin would likely still have QB Patrick Mahomes, solving the problem under center and allowing Tomlin to build a great defense, a key to the Chiefs’ success of the last two seasons. Like Reid, Tomlin knows how to win close games.
It’s all offseason speculation and I’ve pushed against the topic of Tomlin leaving as much as anyone. For now, it’s noise. In a couple years, maybe it won’t be.
