A weekly Steelers (and AFC North) links roundup.
It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for a weekly Steelers links roundup at BTSC. But first, let’s take a look around the AFC North:
- Beatdown Roundtable: Klint Kubiak emerges as early favorite for HC gig (Baltimore Beatdown)
- Browns head coach search still limited by NFL rules after first week of playoffs ends (Dawgs by Nature)
- Bengals Tuesday Trenches: Digesting Duke Tobin’s comments (Cincy Jungle)
Now, onto some Steelers news and discussion:
Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti responds to Mike Tomlin’s resignation from Steelers in real time: ‘He did? Holy s***’
(From Yahoo Sports’ Jason Owens): “He did? Is that official?” Bisciotti asked when informed that Tomlin had stepped down.
Bisciotti was then asked (jokingly?) if Tomlin would be a candidate to replace longtime Ravens coach John Harbaugh, whom Bisciotti fired last week after a loss to Tomlin’s Steelers eliminated Baltimore from the playoffs and sent Pittsburgh into the postseason.
“Holy s***, wouldn’t that be awesome?” Bisciotti said.
The Ravens owner found out about Tomlin’s departure during a press conference, resulting in a very human reaction. He even squeezed in a John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin switching coaching jobs joke.
Pat Freiermuth breaks silence on his frustrating usage in Steelers offense: ‘I am disappointed’
(From PennLive’s Nick Farabaugh): On Tuesday, Freiermuth opened up about the emotions he has pushed down all season. He prides himself on being a team player, but he admitted that his role this season has frustrated him.
“I would say that I am disappointed with the lack of opportunities I was given, but at the end of the day, I’m a team player, and I was proud of myself for not making it about myself,” Freiermuth said. “It’s always about the team and what we can do to win. I feel like I could have been in situations where I could help the team win more. But the longer I’m here, I would like to see myself involved more.”
Maximizing Freiermuth’s talents will be one of the biggest stories of 2026 under the Steelers’ new head coach. In the 2025 season, the talented tight end finished with his second-worst receiving yardage total with just 486 yards on 41 catches.
Steelers, NFL players past and present react to Mike Tomlin’s exit
(From ESPN’s Brianna Williams): Current Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen, who previously played for the Baltimore Ravens, acknowledged the recent departure of both of his former head coaches. Offensive lineman Dylan Cook shared a heartfelt message for Tomlin, while Super Bowl XLIII teammates Ryan Clark and Rashard Mendenhall also offered their reflections.
Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton was told about Tomlin’s departure during Tuesday’s practice and chimed in.
Tomlin parting ways with the Steelers was the most unexpected head coaching change of the season. As you could expect, reactions spread through the NFL media and former players like wildfire.
Where could Mike Tomlin coach next? Four teams that make sense
(From USA Today’s Aryton Ostly): This grows the number of teams looking for a head coach to nine: Atlanta, Arizona, Baltimore, Cleveland, Las Vegas, Miami, Pittsburgh, Tennesseeand the New York Giants. A quarter of the league is looking for a new leader next season.Expert NFL Playoffs picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.
If Tomlin decides to stay in coaching next season, another team will need to compensate the Steelers because he stepped down and was not fired. It’s a similar situation to what happened with Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints.
Ostly suggested the Giants, Titans, Falcons, and Dolphins as his top four teams. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Tomlin plans to take a break from coaching, but the coach’s future decisions aren’t guaranteed yet.
What will Mike Tomlin do next?
I’m inclined to take the reports seriously regarding Tomlin taking a break from coaching, and I think he has a job waiting for him in TV if he ever wants it. He’s always been a memorable speaker, and although he’s mastered the art of saying a lot of words without much substance in press conferences, he’d be able to be more honest as an analyst.
Does Tomlin want a broadcast job, though? It’s a role I struggle to see him immediately switching to given his recent enthusiasm, or lack thereof, in media matters over recent seasons. Again, he’d be great in the role, but I don’t necessarily see him as wanting to give playoff bracket predictions on halftime shows at this stage in his career. I could be wrong.
That said, I don’t expect Tomlin to stay away from coaching for long. Whether he burned himself out or just felt it was time to move on from the Steelers, it was always clear he lives and breathes football and is deeply passionate about his role as a head coach.
If I had to guess, Tomlin will take 2026 off, likely even from TV, before returning to the coaching carousel in 2027.
What do you think Mike Tomlin will do next? Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments!
Category: General Sports
