What Mike Tomlin’s departure from Steelers means for Browns head coaching search

Mike Tomlin has decided to step away from the Pittsburgh Steelers after 19 seasons as their head coach.

This news came down following Pittsburgh’s Wild Card loss to the Houston Texans on Monday night. Now, the Steelers will be searching for their fourth head coach since 1969.

The Browns will be searching for their 21st head coach in that same amount of time after the organization fired Kevin Stefanski following six seasons with the Browns.

Here’s what Tomlin’s departure from the Steelers means for the Browns.

Tomlin not a fit with the Browns

Don’t hold your breath about Tomlin being hired by the Browns.

While the Browns are optimistic that they’ll land an interview with John Harbaugh, who was fired from the Baltimore Ravens after 18 seasons last week, Tomlin will not be a fit.

It’s no guarantee that Tomlin will coach at all next year. Instead, plenty of NFL insiders have hinted that the 53-year-old could pursue a career on television as an analyst.

Even if Tomlin wants to return to coaching, the Browns will not be the fit for him. To start, he stepped down. So any team interested in Tomlin would have to trade draft capital to the Steelers, similar to the Sean Payton situation with the Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints.

Tomlin also doesn’t have a relationship with Browns general manager Andrew Berry, who is leading Cleveland’s search.

When the Browns traded Week 1 starting quarterback and team captain Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals for a fifth-round draft pick, Tomlin was irritated about the inner-division trade.

"To be honest, it was shocking to me," Tomlin said following the trade. "Andrew Berry must be a lot smarter than me or us because it doesn't make sense to me to trade a quarterback that you think enough of to make your opening-day starter to a division opponent that's hurting in that area, but that's just my personal feelings."

The Steelers job is open, but how attractive is it?

The Steelers have been the model of consistency in the NFL. The Rooney family has seamlessly transitioned from Chuck Noll to Bill Cowher to Tomlin.

But how attractive is the job in 2026?

Similar to the Browns, the Steelers have a glaring hole at quarterback.

Assuming that 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers will not return to Pittsburgh, the Steelers will join the Browns on a hunt for their next franchise quarterback.

And the Steelers don’t have much ammunition to find one.

For the second consecutive season, the Steelers have the No. 21 overall pick in the NFL Draft. This is expected to be another weak quarterback class, making it difficult for the Browns or Steelers to find their franchise option.

Cleveland’s defense is better than Pittsburgh’s. But both offenses need major help.

Stefanski could wind up in the AFC North

The Ravens completed an interview with Stefanski for their opening after firing Harbaugh. Now, the Steelers could pursue Cleveland’s former head coach.

Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor was somehow the only coach to survive the wild AFC North this season.