Mike Tomlin has stepped down as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach. It’s unclear whether he’ll coach for another team next season. If he decides to return to the sideline in 2026, several teams will show interest. The Las Vegas Raiders certainly need to pursue him.
The Raiders are looking for a replacement for Pete Carroll, who they fired after just one year. Without a doubt, team needs a hard-nosed coach like Tomlin. Will he wind up in Vegas next season?
The Raiders Need to Hire Mike Tomlin
Looking Back at His Pittsburgh Tenure
The Steelers hired Mike Tomlin in January 2007. He replaced the legendary Bill Cowher, who had spent 15 years with the team.
During his first season in Pittsburgh, Tomlin led the Steelers to a 10-6 record and an AFC North Division Championship. The Steelers lost in the first round of the playoffs, though, to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The following season, Tomlin became the youngest head coach in NFL history to both coach in and win a Super Bowl when he led Pittsburgh to a 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
This season, Tomlin’s Steelers finished with a 10-7 record and won the AFC North. However, they suffered a 30-6 blowout loss to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
During his tenure in Pittsburgh, Tomlin has led the team to seven AFC North titles and has guided the Steelers to the playoffs 13 times. In addition, the team has reached the Super Bowl twice (also lost to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV).
Why the Raiders?
The Raiders had a horrible 2025 season. They finished with a 3-14 record and obviously missed the playoffs. The team has only made the postseason twice since the 2002 campaign.
With that said, why in the world would Mike Tomlin want to go to Las Vegas? Well, for starters, it looks like the Raiders have a very bright future. They own the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
And with that pick, they’ll more that likely select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The Heisman Trophy winner is expected to become an NFL superstar. Mendoza could team with tight end Brock Bowers and running back Ashton Jeanty to form an exciting, young trio in Las Vegas.
The Raiders will have those three talented players (if they draft Mendoza) to build around as well as a ton of cap space. That could be very enticing to Tomlin.
Tomlin would bring a much-needed winning culture to the team. He’s a Super Bowl-winning coach, who posted a 193-114 record with the Steelers. Tomlin never had a losing season during his 19 years in Pittsburgh. That’s quite impressive, especially since the Steelers haven’t had a franchise quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger retired.
Again, Mike Tomlin might not be interested in coaching next season. Perhaps he’ll take a television job for a year or two. But if Tomlin wants to continue coaching in 2026, the Raiders need to pursue him. He needs a change of scenery and could help turns things around in Las Vegas.
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