Mike Tomlin, one of the intriguing NFL TV prospects in years, is headed to NBC to be a high studio analyst on its Sunday night pregame present, “Football Night in America,” sources briefed on the transfer informed The Athletic on Tuesday.
Tomlin, 54, has been eyed by sports activities TV executives for greater than a decade due to his success as a Super Bowl-winning Steelers coach, his data of the sport and his distinctive phrasing.
Fox confirmed some curiosity in Tomlin, however NBC had the largest want for his companies. The community is reimagining its pregame present, a transfer that has already led to the dismissal of Tony Dungy after 17 seasons.
The roles of Rodney Harrison, Jac Collinsworth and Chris Simms are additionally in query because the community seeks extra present star energy and fewer individuals on the present. NBC Sports declined to remark.
Tomlin will join host Maria Taylor, ex-Cowboys coach Jason Garrett and Devin McCourty on set. NBC nonetheless should re-sign McCourty. Insider Mike Florio is predicted to return to this system. Matthew Berry has been a fantasy soccer contributor on the present.
Of all of the Sunday NFL pregame exhibits, NBC’s has had the best scores, however that’s largely as a result of it airs earlier than the community’s primetime recreation of the week, in contrast to the late-morning and midday studio choices from CBS, Fox, ESPN and NFL Network.
Next season, NBC may hit the street full-time. In current years, the primary crew, that includes Taylor, was largely in NBC’s Stamford, Conn., studios, whereas Collinsworth, Dungy and Harrison had been on web site on the video games. NBC has regarded into forgoing the hybrid method and utilizing fewer personalities.
Tomlin has been the community’s No. 1 goal. Fox was initially considered as the favourite for Tomlin due to his shut relationship with its NFL insider, Jay Glazer, and since the community had not but changed retired Hall of Fame coach-turned-analyst Jimmy Johnson.
After this previous season, Tomlin stepped down because the Pittsburgh Steelers coach following 19 years during which he by no means had a dropping season. His groups made the playoffs 13 occasions. They superior to two Super Bowls, beating the Arizona Cardinals in 2009 when Tomlin was simply 36. However, as Ben Roethlisberger aged and the Steelers struggled to discover a new quarterback, Tomlin misplaced his ultimate seven postseason video games.
The Tomlin sweepstakes was watered down partly as a result of the NFL’s want to renegotiate its 11-year, $110-plus billion offers looms over all TV rights holders. The NFL has opt-outs within the agreements on the finish of the last decade, however is attempting to extract extra money from its fundamental companions, together with CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC/ESPN and Amazon Prime Video. The platforms would have the benefit of figuring out for sure that the offers would undergo the 2030s with out the specter of dropping the video games on the finish of this decade.
CBS is predicted to be first on the NFL’s listing to renegotiate its settlement as a result of its state of affairs is barely completely different. With CBS’ proprietor, Paramount, within the midst of buying Warner Bros. Discovery, the NFL can invoke a change-of-ownership clause in its contract with CBS, forcing the community to the desk this yr.
The menace of including a whole bunch of tens of millions, or perhaps a billion, extra to what it pays the NFL has made some networks slightly hesitant to shell out much more cash for personalities.
This left NBC executives within the prime place due to their want to add a possible star. And it went out and acquired him.
For how lengthy is the query now, as Tomlin may conceivably return to teaching. His predecessor with the Steelers, Bill Cowher, walked away from teaching at 49 in 2007. He went to CBS and, although talked about for a lot of teaching jobs through the years, Cowher, now 68, has remained on “The NFL Today.” Tomlin will probably have to grapple with whether or not to coach once more.
