Why the Raiders Shouldn't Pursue Mike Tomlin

The bad news for the Las Vegas Raiders is that they're searching for their fourth head coach in four seasons. Josh McDaniels and Antonio Pierce each got a little over a full year. Pete Carroll lasted all of 17 games before he was swiftly given the boot following a 2-15 finish in 2025. He was the first head coach in the Tom Brady era.

This time around, General Manager John Spytek is involved in the search as well. When Las Vegas initially hired Carroll, it was just days after they brought Spytek on board, and he didn't even get a chance to interview the Raiders' choice.

The good news for Sin City is that there are quite a few viable candidates available now. They can't afford to get this next hiring wrong — literally, as they'll still be paying Carroll, McDaniels, and Chip Kelly to not work for them next season.

Las Vegas Raiders, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Head Coach Mike Tomlin — Oct 13, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin salutes the crowd after the Steelers defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 32-13 at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Raiders shouldn't hire Mike Tomlin

The Las Vegas Raiders aren't the only team to part ways with their head coach after the 2025 NFL season. Following their embarrassing 30-6 blowout loss to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round, Mike Tomlin elected to step down from his post with the Pittsburgh Steelers, joining a lengthy list that already included his former divisional rivals, John Harbaugh and Kevin Stefanski.

Reportedly, Tomlin was immediately flooded with handsome offers from TV networks to sign on as the next coach-turned-media-personality. However, if he's interested in rejoining the coaching ranks, he should have an assortment of teams lining up for his services on the sideline. The Raiders shouldn't be one of them, for several reasons.

If Mike Tomlin gets fired I want the Raiders to be the first to call him lol. #RaiderNation
— Raider Nation Worldwide (@RaiderNationWW) January 13, 2026

For one, Tomlin is still under contract with Pittsburgh through next season. While they can't prevent him from taking his talents to television, they can demand that a team trade for him if they want to hire him as their new head coach for 2026. Even if that wasn't the case, though, Las Vegas still shouldn't be interested.

Tomlin's struggles with the Steelers this year were practically identical to Carroll's in Sin City. His approach is dated and unwavering.

He's overly reliant on strong coordinators. Even if he identified the right play-callers on both sides of the ball, the Raiders would risk them getting hired away. Now, he might be a much better culture setter than the 74-year-old Carroll, but Las Vegas needs a lot more out of its roster than just effort. The Raiders need an elite schemer who will call the plays and lock down their prospects on at least one side of the ball.

To keep up with the Raiders' search for their next head coach, sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news. Not only is it 100% FREE, but we also don’t spam you or sell your information. SIGN UP HERE NOW.

We'd appreciate it if you would follow us on X @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr, and we also invite you to visit our Facebook page, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.