Mike Tomlin & Lamar Jackson Could Team Up On AFC Team In Blockbuster 2027 Move
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
Mike Tomlin left the Pittsburgh Steelers in January after 19 seasons. He now works at NBC in New York. Owners already treat him like the top coaching prize on the 2027 market.
Jason La Canfora reported the Jets are doing early work. Owner Woody Johnson is asking questions. One executive who knows Johnson said the idea “has legs.”
“Woody is starting to ask a lot of questions; he’s doing his homework on Tomlin,” the executive said. “This one has legs. I’m telling you. Mike is in New York at Rockefeller Center for NBC, Woody is back in charge at the facility, and he knows how steep the competition will be. You are going to hear a lot about the Jets.”
Mike Tomlin Would Command Full Control in New York
Tomlin never posted a losing record in 19 Steelers seasons. He finished 193-114-2. He won Super Bowl XLIII. He made 13 playoff trips.
The Jets have not had a winning season since 2015. One general manager called current coach Aaron Glenn “a dead man walking.” Money would not be an object if Johnson wants Tomlin.
Landing him would copy the Giants’ move for John Harbaugh. Tomlin would want a top-of-market deal. He would also want real say over football operations.
He has not said he will coach again. On NBC, he told Cris Collinsworth he does not feel like he is missing anything yet.
“I haven’t thought a whole lot about it because I haven’t felt like I’m missing anything yet,” he said. “When those regular season balls start snapping, that’s when I get the itch a little bit.”
Mike Tomlin Hire Could Open Door for Lamar Jackson
A Tomlin landing in East Rutherford could start a second chase. League executives told La Canfora that Lamar Jackson may look at a trade after extension talks stall.
Jackson’s 2027 cap hit sits at $84.5 million. His deal includes no-trade and no-tag language. Multiple GMs think he could test the market if Baltimore does not secure a new deal.
“If Tomlin takes the reins in New York, where the Jets boast premium draft capital—including three first-round selections—there is a belief Jackson would strongly evaluate the destination,” La Canfora wrote. “The pair share a deep mutual respect built over years of AFC North battles.”
The Jets’ defense would give Jackson a ready foundation. Johnson has chased big names before. Tomlin has long preferred veteran quarterbacks.
Nothing is signed. Tomlin is still in a studio. Jackson is still a Raven. The homework in New York has started anyway.
