If Mike Tomlin is going to return to coaching in 2027, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might be the perfect fit for the former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach. Jarrett Bailey of SB Nation went through his top 61 predictions for the 2026 season. One of his predictions was for Tomlin to return to the NFL after just one year into his retirement to join the Buccaneers.
Bailey notes that Tomlin would be returning to Tampa Bay and that the deal would be very similar to what just happened between the New Orleans Saints and Sean Payton.
“Tomlin was the Bucs’ defensive backs coach from 2001-05, winning a Super Bowl in the 2002 season,” noted Bailey. “After Tampa moves on from Todd Bowles, they make a Sean Payton-esc trade with Pittsburgh, as they still hold Tomlin’s rights, sending a 2027 first-round pick and 2028 third-round pick to the Steelers in exchange for their new head coach.”
This could be a best-case outcome for Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Could be the Next Team to Hire Mike Tomlin
GettyBuccaneers’ head coach Todd Bowles
Mike Tomlin was the epitome of stability with the Steelers. He was their coach for 19 years and never had a losing season. More than that, he won a Super Bowl, appeared in two, and also appeared in three AFC Championship games. His teams made the playoffs 13 times in his 19 years, so they were always in contention even if they did not always make long runs.
It is easy to see why teams would be drawn to this. We saw a similar blueprint with Sean Payton on the Saints.
Things began to get stale with Payton on the Saints, but they could not quite reset with him being such a good coach. Payton took a year to reset and was traded to the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos missed the playoffs in his first year, but were immediately back in contention in year two. Last year, they made the AFC Championship and may have been an injury to Bo Nix away from making the Super Bowl.
That is the type of quick reset that Tampa Bay is looking for. The draft pick helped the Saints reset, but the Broncos did not miss it.
Mike Tomlin Could Be Enticed by Tampa Bay
It is easy to see why the Bucs would choose Tomlin, but Tomlin has a lot of reasons to choose the Bucs as well. One of the reasons why Todd Bowles’ seat is so hot as head coach is because the roster is built to win now, and they are not taking advantage.
Both Mike Evans and Lavonte David left but there are still core members of the roster around.
The offensive line is rated as one of the best in the NFL. While they are all veterans, none of them are old enough to have worries after the season. Emeka Egbuka leads a young receiving corps that features Jalen McMillan and Ted Hurst as well.
On defense, the team just saw Rueben Bain fall into their lap. With Yaya Diaby across from him, Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey on the inside, the front looks strong.
They just drafted Josiah Trotter at linebacker. Meanwhile, Antoine Winfield, Jacob Parrish, and Tykee Smith all present enticing young options in the secondary.
Tomlin knows the franchise and the area well. He could return to where his career took off, and help the Bucs get back into contention.
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