The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the Weekend with a phenomenal chance to clinch the AFC North and secure a playoff berth, allowing their veteran roster some much-needed rest before the playoffs. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, which lost to the Cleveland Browns, the Steelers are now preparing for a winner-take-all contest for the AFC North against the Baltimore Ravens that will serve as a de facto playoff game.
The game is of paramount importance for head coach Mike Tomlin, who hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016 and saw home fans call for his job in an embarrassing loss to the Buffalo Bills several weeks ago.
Now, one of the league’s most prominent insiders is entertaining the idea that Tomlin could walk away from the organization for a role on television if the Steelers lose on Sunday.
“They will have a big say,” Schefter said of both Tomlin and (Ravens head coach John Harbaugh’s) futures. “One of them may go in there and say, ‘It’s been a great run. Might be time to go try something else.’ Whether that’s TV or another job somewhere else, like, those things are possible. They’re within the realm of possibility for the wide range of outcomes after Week 18.
Adam Schefter suggests Mike Tomlin, John Harbaugh could take TV job after Week 18 loss https://t.co/Phvsp8KI6k pic.twitter.com/0dHPfNBAWF
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 29, 2025
Fans reacted to the notion of Tomlin leaving on social media.
“Harbaugh I could see as a game analyst. Tomlin would probably be better as a studio guy,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“That would be a horrible idea for tomlin. He’s a robot during press conferences. Same BS Sayings, not too mention same bs playoff losss,” someone else added.
“When you lead your division AND you can’t even beat a 3-12 Cleveland team with a rookie 5th round QB, you’ve earned that firing,” another fan added.
It’ll be interesting to see how Sunday shakes out.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.