After Mike Tomlin surprisingly stepped down after 19 years as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, nobody from the football world should have been shocked to see him venture into a new career path in television. Tomlin always performed well in front of a camera and a microphone, and he'll be doing that in a different setting in Week 1 of the 2026 season.
Tomlin was recently hired as a studio analyst for NBC's Football Night in America. The former Steelers head coach will join Maria Taylor, Devin McCourty, and Jason Garrett before the kickoff of Sunday Night Football.
But the league just passed up a golden opportunity.
On Monday, just days ahead of the 2026 NFL Schedule Release, multiple sources (first reported by Ozzy on X) reported that Sunday Night Football will open with the New York Giants hosting the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium in Week 1. This game is reportedly scheduled for September 13 at 8:20 pm Eastern Time.
It's important to note that this is still just a rumored leak until the league makes it official, but this was later reported by NFL insider Ari Meirov, so we can expect it to hold true.
Ahead of kickoff, Tomlin will be covering the game for NBC. But this would have been perfect if the Pittsburgh Steelers were playing on SNF in Week 1.
The NFL missed a big opportunity to have Mike Tomlin's first assignment be a Pittsburgh Steelers game
The Dallas Cowboys have long been dubbed 'America's Team', and as such, they are sure to draw ratings—especially in primetime action in Week 1. However, it would have made for a picture-perfect storyline had Mike Tomlin's first assignment on his new job been to call a Steelers contest.
Fans are already excited to see Tomlin behind the camera and to hear the words of wisdom and 'Tomlin-isms' he has to offer as a studio analyst on national television. But to hear him talk about his former team—the team that he just wrapped up coaching for nearly two decades—could have drawn a bigger crowd for Football Night in America.
Not only did we learn that Tomlin's first assignment won't include covering the Steelers, but with this Giants vs. Cowboys schedule leak, we know Pittsburgh will not be playing on Sunday Night Football for the 2026 season opener.
We assume that the Pittsburgh Steelers will be in the SNF spotlight at least once during the 2026 season, which means we will get to hear what Tomlin has to say about his former team. Now it's just a matter of finding out when that moment will come.
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