Mike Tomlin coached the Pittsburgh Steelers for 19 seasons. He accomplished plenty in that time, but unfortunately, all things must end. He stepped down following the 2025 season, and it doesn’t sound like he’ll be coaching at all this season. However, if he ever returns, former Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster would love to reunite with him.

“I can see why players loved him,” Smith-Schuster said Tuesday on the Snap Count podcast. “I can see why I loved playing for him. I was very bummed that he stepped down. Even throughout this free agency, I’m over here seeking to text him being like, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’ Seeing if I can play for him again because he is someone that you would put everything on the line for.”

The Steelers drafted Smith-Schuster in the second round in 2017. He made an instant impact with 58 catches for 917 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie. He built on that the following year, catching 111 balls for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns.

Unfortunately, injuries slowed Smith-Schuster down, and he left the Steelers in free agency following the 2021 season. He signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, helping them win a Super Bowl. He then had a brief stint with the New England Patriots before rejoining the Chiefs in 2024.

Now, Smith-Schuster’s a free agent, and it’s unclear where the next stop on his journey will be. He hasn’t been as productive lately, failing to reach even 400 receiving yards in any of the last three seasons.

However, Smith-Schuster isn’t even 30 years old, and he brings a lot of experience, so perhaps he can land with a team. He might have to wait a year to play for Tomlin again, though. The former Steelers coach’s most likely next step seems to be a job on television.

Tomlin could return to the NFL next year, though. Sean Payton did something similar a few years ago, retiring from the NFL for a season and getting an analyst job, only to return to coaching after a year.

If Tomlin coaches again, and if Smith-Schuster is still in the league, then perhaps they can team up again. They had a lot of success in Pittsburgh, although the two never won a playoff game together. Perhaps they could right that wrong somewhere else.