Enjoying his time away from coaching, former Pittsburgh Steelers head man Mike Tomlin is still paying close attention to what’s going on in the NFL. He’s doing this, not only just due to his role as analyst with NBC Sports, but to keep his options open for a possible return to an NFL sideline in the future. Tomlin did respond “never say never” when asked directly if he envisions himself as a head coach again.
But in addition to having some fun with the latest rumors, Tomlin has also been more willing to discuss non Steelers players openly, not as an upcoming opponent, but as a fan of their game. One of the players Tomlin appreciates plays quarterback for the Buffalo Bills.
Because when asked which current signal caller he would love to coach, Tomlin wasted no time in saying Josh Allen as his answer. So instead of pointing to Lamar Jackson or Joe Burrow, the two top quarterback from his old AFC North division, or even Patrick Mahomes, a future Hall of Famer with a resume that may argue as the greatest ever when he’s done, he mentioned their peer in Allen.
Tomlin’s reasoning was simple. Instead of wasting time with the numerous statistics to support Allen’s case as the best in the game today.
“Who do I wanna coach? I’d take Josh Allen,” said Tomlin on the PFF NFL Show. And even when offered the others as options, Tomlin reiterated Allen as his guy.
“It be Josh [Allen] for me, man. It just seems like he’s at his best in the most critical moments. Late in the game, he finds a way to do it, and he can do it with his arms, he can do it with his legs. He looks like, not only does he want it, he needs it. He looks like he’s built for it,” Tomlin explained.
Upon hearing Allen as Tomlin’s pick, some immediately compared the Bills’ franchise quarterback to Ben Roethlisberger, who Tomlin had under center for most of his success in Pittsburgh.
And to further legitimatize Allen, he already has 30,102 passing yards, 4,721 more on the ground and 299 total touchdowns and 94 interceptions from just eight seasons entering 2026. Allen was also named the NFL’s MVP in 2024 and is a four-time Pro Bowler. The only blemish on Allen’s resume to this point is what Tomlin achieved early in his time as a coach with Roethlisberger, a Super Bowl championship.
But as Tomlin said and to Allen’s credit, he’s still showed up and performed in the postseason despite failing to reach the Super Bowl. In 15 playoff games, Allen has an 8-7 record with 3,915 passing yards, 767 rushing yards, a cumulative clip of 66.5 as far as completions and 38 overall scores.
Mike Tomlin Picks QB He’d Love to Coach: ‘He’s Built for It’