How the NFL Views the Steelers’ Job, Plus Top Candidates to Replace Mike Tomlin

Mike Tomlin is stepping down as head coach of the Steelers after 19 seasons, a team source confirmed to Sports Illustrated on Tuesday. It is believed Tomlin will follow the Sean Payton path, departing the NFL to explore opportunities in television while keeping an eye on potential openings down the road.

Tomlin’s departure means there will be turnover for 75% of the AFC North, with the Bengals’ Zac Taylor the only incumbent coach who will remain in a division that was known for its stalwarts at the head coaching spot. Tomlin’s move comes a day after the Steelers were routed 30–6 in the playoffs by the Texans, making it nine seasons since the 53-year-old head coach was able to log a playoff win despite six trips to the postseason in that span.

In taking the Payton path, Tomlin has likely recognized what the rest of the NFL did years ago: This iteration of the Steelers’ roster has reached a natural end point. Despite an unbeatable streak of 19 seasons at .500 or better, most of Pittsburgh’s core is aging out. Its quarterback is likely retiring. Not counting the kicker, the Steelers’ roster has 14 players over the age of 30 and, despite some young talent, was heavily dependent on a cadre of Tomlin lieutenants.

Tomlin’s departure activates one of the more storied coaching search processes in modern sports. The Steelers have only had three head coaches—Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Tomlin—since 1969. All of those coaches have won a Super Bowl. The idea behind the Rooney Rule, named for the team’s late owner and patriarch, Dan, derived from a process that has some loosely defined preferences—young, malleable and sourced from the defensive side of the ball—but ultimately is rooted in casting a wide net of candidates to interview and allowing the process to take its course. Tomlin, famously, was not atop the Steelers’ wish list in 2006 but made such an impression that the entire search swung after his interview. Rooney used that example to encourage more teams to be less immediately decisive and more inclusive in their interview process.

In making some immediate outreach following the news, one pressing question for those in the industry is this: Will Art Rooney II follow the formula spearheaded by Dan? Or will the Steelers, after a generation of success with defensive head coaches, look to the offensive side of the ball?

A second tidbit: Many assistant coach contracts were up in Pittsburgh, which felt like a natural pivot point for the Steelers to move on.

Now, to the list of people who make the most sense to replace Tomlin. This job is revered because the Steelers are an elite, blueblood franchise, but the team is without an obvious solution at quarterback moving forward and, as we mentioned, the coach will inherit an aging core of key contributors.

While I don’t imagine that to be a drawback—if Pittsburgh’s roster was in Cleveland, for example, I’m sure we would hold that more aggressively against the Browns—it’s going to take time and patience to rebuild the Steelers without the kind of draft capital rebuilding teams typically enjoy.

With that in mind, here are some candidates to replace Tomlin in Pittsburgh. You can also refer back to my longer list of future NFL head coaches from December for a wider look at this cycle’s candidate pool.

Marcus Freeman, head coach, Notre Dame

While I know Freeman has doubled down on his commitment to the Irish, Tomlin’s resignation plus John Harbaugh’s firing in Baltimore means two of the most sought-after jobs in recent NFL history have come open, and the 40-year-old former Ohio State linebacker is operating at the absolute height of his powers. Freeman would be a hand-in-glove fit for either Pittsburgh or Baltimore, satisfying not only the Ravens’ penchant for hiring against the grain but the Steelers’ desire for strong-willed defensive coaches who can craft a mentality that handles the rigors of the notoriously brutal AFC North.

Freeman has piloted a top-11 defense in college football every year since 2023 and led the Fighting Irish to the national championship game last season. NFL teams came calling for Freeman early this cycle, but he pushed off interest and posted about returning to Notre Dame in late December.

However, the NFL head coaching landscape has drastically changed since and offers Freeman a potential opportunity—head coaching jobs with both the budget and history of pragmatism—that he may never see again.

I think the only way this gets done is if a team effectively waives its right to a full search and goes after Freeman directly, with the assurance that he’d get the job. This part would directly conflict with the Rooney Rule ethos. But, prying a beloved, national championship-caliber coach away from college football’s most storied program is a very, very delicate process.

Brian Flores, defensive coordinator, Minnesota Vikings

Flores did a year-long stop in Pittsburgh after the chaotic—for reasons outside of his control—ending of his tenure as Dolphins head coach. When I talked to Tomlin about Flores last year ahead of the head coaching cycle, he noted this:

“[Flores] just wanted to be a component of what we were doing. He wanted to put his hand in the pile. That speaks to the humility of the man, and his love and relationship to the game. And, his love of the vocation of coaching.

“He came in and did everything we asked him to do. He was always willing to add additional insight that his experience and capabilities provided, but he was not heavy-handed with that. I was just really impressed with how he managed the opportunity that he had here and what he brought to us. Being around him day-to-day and getting to know him as a football man and a football coach … I feel the same way about him as I felt about Raheem Morris when I talked to people regarding his candidacy. I thought Raheem was the best coaching candidate in the world without a head coaching job, and I feel the same way about Flo in this cycle.”

Flores has been one of the most dominant defensive coaches over the past two seasons and, at 44, fits the Steelers’ traditional candidate checklist of young defensive masterminds. It would be the first time in the modern era that Pittsburgh hired someone with previous head coaching experience.

Nate Scheelhaase, passing-game coordinator, Los Angeles Rams

Tomlin was 34 when he became the Steelers’s head coach. Cowher was 34 when he became the Steelers’ head coach.

So, it’s not surprising to see us discussing a 35-year-old Scheelhaase, who has already gotten slips put in from the Ravens, Raiders and Browns for their respective head coaching vacancies. If nothing else, Pittsburgh definitely needs to be abreast of the Ravens’ process, as it will have a major impact on Pittsburgh's operations in the coming decade. Scheelhaase has been a critical part of Sean McVay’s staff and was an integral part of an Iowa State program that, during Scheelhaase’s tenure, developed a handful of top-tier future NFL players, including Brock Purdy, Jaylin Noel and Breece Hall.

Scheelhaase was tapped to take over the Cyclones’ program after Matt Campbell left (as I wrote more about Tuesday), but was targeted by the Rams before Iowa State had the chance to keep him.

Jesse Minter, defensive coordinator, Los Angeles Chargers

Minter’s Chargers had a strong performance against the Patriots in the wild-card round, and he finished the season as one of the best defensive coordinators in football, like he did a year ago. His past three seasons of coaching have produced a suffocating national championship unit at Michigan and two top-five units with the Chargers.

Minter will be of interest in Baltimore and has a request slip from every team that has an opening this cycle. By process of elimination, that likely means Minter will get a job. It’s just a matter of which team offers the best fit.

Chris Shula, defensive coordinator, Los Angeles Rams

Shula is a name worth monitoring for the Steelers. The 39-year-old defensive coordinator is, at least in my opinion, a step behind Minter in the battle for top up-and-coming defensive coordinator, but he offers a lot of promise. Shula finished the regular season with a top-seven defense and, over the past two years as defensive coordinator, has posted one of the 10 best defenses in terms of EPA per play allowed.

It also needs to be mentioned that, while Shula has done an incredible job of carving out his own legacy away from his football royalty family (his grandfather, Don Shula, is the league’s all-time winningest coach), the Steelers are a blueblood program that appreciates the legacy and contribution of the Shulas. It would be a natural fit.

Ejiro Evero, defensive coordinator, Carolina Panthers

If I had to think of the closest comparison to Tomlin coming out of Minnesota as the defensive coordinator of a 6–10 team and getting the Steelers’ job in 2007, I would point to Evero, who just finished his third season as the Panthers’ defensive coordinator. Evero is 45, cut his teeth in the Shanahan, Harbaugh and McVay systems, and is widely known as a brilliant defensive mind who has well outschemed the talent on his roster. Evero’s past two stops with the Panthers and the pre–Sean Payton Broncos included defenses that played well above expectation. He is well-respected, has interviewed well in multiple stops and is tied into the Shanahan and McVay trees, which means he can bring a top-tier offensive coordinator with him.

Klint Kubiak, offensive coordinator, Seattle Seahawks

Kubiak, who will also be a name to watch in Baltimore, could be another coach that overlaps in Pittsburgh on the circuit. The Steelers have never had an offense-first head coach, but Kubiak’s bona fides in Seattle this year are undeniable. While his personality doesn’t necessarily fit the profile, this is a new era of Steelers football and the first search the team has piloted without Dan Rooney. Kubiak’s ability to create explosive plays with a veteran free-agent quarterback will be of note to Steelers fans who have watched a cavalcade of quarterbacks struggle in Pittsburgh and fail to develop into top-half offensive teams.

Jeff Hafley, defensive coordinator, Green Bay Packers

While Hafley’s Packers had a disappointing end to the season, I’ve heard his interviews have been that good. Hafley, 46, is a former head coach at Boston College and left the school to be Matt LaFleur’s defensive coordinator. As one of the unanimous top candidates of the cycle heading into the late fall and early winter, buzz surrounding Hafley has dimmed, though the response from owners who have interviewed him has not. Hafley has a presence that could win over his prospective new bosses.