Mike Tomlin’s departure from the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t completely close the door on his NFL coaching career. With Pittsburgh retaining his rights through the 2027 season, any team hoping to pull him out of the NBC studio would have to negotiate with the franchise first.
That possibility gives Steelers fans a reason to watch the coaching carousel differently. Tomlin isn’t simply a former coach who can sign anywhere. He’s a potential trade asset, and Jon Gruden believes Pittsburgh should demand a massive return if another team calls.
Jon Gruden says Mike Tomlin is worth more than a first-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Past the midway point of the “Not Just Football” podcast, Cam Heyward broached the topic of the Steelers trading Mike Tomlin. Gruden argued that coaching has become more valuable as NFL teams receive less polished talent from the college ranks. His case centered on the staff a head coach builds and the development structure that follows.
“So, if you get a guy like Mike Tomlin, he’s going to hire a good group of coaches, and he’s going to develop players; that’s worth a lot more than a first-round pick, if you ask me.”
The first-round benchmark isn’t random. The most recent coaching trade offers a useful comparison, as the New Orleans Saints received the 29th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and a 2024 second-round pick from the Denver Broncos for Sean Payton and a 2024 third-round selection.
Payton’s path also resembles Tomlin’s current situation. He joined Fox Sports as an NFL studio analyst during the 2022 season before returning to the sideline with Denver in 2023. Tomlin is now working in television while the Steelers retain his coaching rights through 2027, giving the organization leverage if another team convinces him to return.
The Payton deal suggests a first-round pick could be the starting point rather than the ceiling. Tomlin’s résumé, leadership presence, and ability to command a locker room would create immediate interest from a franchise with an impatient owner, a talented roster, and little appetite for another rebuild.
Of course, Gruden has a right to his own take, but Steelers Nation knows full well that Tomlin's record of assembling staffs was less than stellar. He doesn't know how to hire the right staff, and his coaching tree never blossomed. While he developed plenty of players over his nearly two decades with the franchise, virtually none of his coordinators went on to land NFL head coaching jobs, and coordinators like Keith Butler, Teryl Austin, Randy Fichtner, and Matt Canada often remained after their units had stalled.
Tomlin frequently leaned on veteran coaches or promoted assistants from within, a pattern that allowed for continuity but rarely brought fresh schematic ideas. That history makes Gruden’s confidence in Tomlin hiring an elite staff hard for Steelers fans to accept.
Gruden’s strongest point may be Tomlin’s communication. He described Tomlin’s word choice and ability to emphasize a message as “rare” and “very unique,” adding that Tomlin won’t back down and will repeat a point until it lands.
Those traits could convince an owner to approach the compensation Denver paid for Payton, especially if the roster needs authority and direction. Whether Pittsburgh could secure an even bigger return would depend on how many teams are interested, but the Steelers have a recent trade precedent supporting Gruden’s bold valuation.
For now, though, Tomlin is comfy and cozy in the confines of the NBC studios -- far less stressful than coaching any NFL team.
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