Mike Tomlin may be done for good. After stepping away from the Pittsburgh Steelers, he has not indicated any plans to coach in 2026. And at least one former player who knows him well is not convinced he will ever return to the sidelines.
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Former Buccaneers great Ronde Barber said this week that Tomlin privately shared his intentions long before the public announcement. Barber believes Tomlin decided as far back as last year that 2025 would be it.
"There's a lot of stories out there about Mike taking a year off and going back to coach," Barber said, via Tim Benz of Trib Live. "I'm gonna tell you right now, I think he's done. I think he wants to be done. Last year, I was in Long Island with him and he told me then. He said, 'I think this is my last year.' He didn't say anything to anyone else the rest of the year."
Barber and Tomlin go back to Tomlin's early coaching days with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where Tomlin landed his first NFL assistant job in 2001. The two have remained close over the years, and Tomlin presented Barber with his gold jacket when Barber was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023.
There has been plenty of speculation about Tomlin potentially moving into television, a path that would offer flexibility, strong money, and far less weekly grind than coaching. At 53, Tomlin would have time to return to the NFL if he wanted.
But based on those closest to him, it would not surprise anyone if he never does.
