Is Mike Tomlin a Fit for Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

Something that people thought would never see happen happened: Mike Tomlin stepped down as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It’s easy to forget now, since Tomlin had been the running the show on Pittsburgh for so long (19 seasons), but Tomlin once won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

From 2001-2005, Tomlin was Tampa Bay’s defensive backs coach, first working on Tony Dungy’s staff (2001) and then Jon Gruden’s (2002-05). After that, Tomlin became the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator for a season before taking the helm in Pittsburgh.

Over the past two decades, Tomlin has become a polarizing figure.

Tomlin’s critics would point out that he never won a Super Bowl after accomplishing that feat in the 2008 season, and didn’t even manage a playoff win over his last near decade in charge.

Tomlin’s defenders will point out that he never had a losing campaign in 19 seasons with the Steelers, and he accomplished this despite starting the likes of Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and Devlin Hodges at quarterback for extended periods.

Tomlin is only 53, so there’s a good chance he ends up coaching somewhere else soon.

But should that place be in Tampa, and should that time be right now?

ESPN’s Josina Anderson reported that Tomlin would prefer to coach in a warmer climate.

Tampa Bay certainly fits that description.

Although it’s been a long time since Tomlin coached for Tampa Bay, his ties to the organization are undeniable, and Tomlin is familiar with the Glazer family, which still owns the team.

Despite finishing this season 8-9, the Buccaneers have won five division titles and a Super Bowl this decade. That’s a winning culture, and a better culture than most teams with head-coach vacancies offer (Cleveland, Las Vegas, etc.).

The thing is, the Buccaneers currently don’t have an opening at head coach.

Despite Tampa’s 2-7 second-half slide and its failure to win the NFC South — a division in which every team had a losing record — the team’s apparent intention is for Bowles to stay in the lead job for 2026.

Some of Tomlin’s staunchest defenders over the years claim that, should he leave Pittsburgh, teams would go as far as to fire their current coach to make a run at Tomlin.

Is this something to Glazers would do?

It’s hard to say at the moment, since Tomlin has only been unemployed for one day so far.

But even if this is the Bucs’ thinking, the question becomes whether Tomlin even wants to coach in 2026.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that team’s expressing interest in Tomlin have been told he doesn’t plan to coach anywhere next season.

Could these plans change? Yes. Does it seem likely? No.

The way Tampa’s season ended, plus Tomlin’s track record and ties to the franchise make it inevitable for the “Tomlin to Tampa?” question to be asked.

But right now, it’s something that needs to be seen to be believed.

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Is Mike Tomlin a Fit for Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

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