PITTSBURGH —Mike Tomlin won't be leading the Pittsburgh Steelers next season. His future is hazy, but the longtime head coach doesn't seem to be interested in hopping right into a new job.
If and when he does, will the Steelers get anything back for him?
"Mike indicated that he did not anticipate coaching at least in the near future," Steelers president Art Rooney II said during a press conference on Wednesday. "I think he wants to spend time with his family and do some of the kinds of things he hasn't been able to do for the last many, many years. If something like that comes up, we'll deal with it when it comes up, but right now, that doesn't seem to be on his radar."
"We'll find out a year from now, if and when he decides he's coming back, whether or not compensation for the Steelers is part of it, whether it is, whether it isn't or whether there's a dispute between the two sides as to whether or not he can go to another team without compensation," Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio said during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin in a game against the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 28, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Florio has looked into the matter and whether it could be something similar to what happened with Sean Payton when he joined the Denver Broncos . After Payton resigned from his post with the New Orleans Saints in 2022, the Broncos traded two draft picks to acquire him the following year.
"What I've learned after receiving the relevant internal NFL policy and procedure from someone with another team, it all comes down to what's in his contract," Florio said. "If there's nothing at all about whether he could immediately go to another team, or if he sits out a year and has time left on the contract, the Steelers retain rights to compensation — if it's silent — then after next season, the Steelers would not be entitled to compensation. They currently would be.
"The way it works (is) if there's nothing in your contract about it — if it's silent on that point — the way it works is if you resign or retire with time left, the clock keeps running even if you're not working."
Florio added that he wonders if there's a wrinkle with the 2027 option on Tomlin's deal.
"Can you exercise that before he leaves?" Florio said. "Is that not something that you can tack on if you're the Steelers? It's all gonna be driven by the contract."
Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Could Steelers Miss Out on Compensation for Mike Tomlin?
Related Headlines
