Yesterday, Jason La Canfora reported that Jets owner Woody Johnson is setting up for a major run to make ex-Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin the new head man in New York. Tomlin resigned from his position as head coach of the Steelers this past spring after 19 years at the helm in Pittsburgh, and this year he’s in the booth with NBC.
But it’s no secret he wants to get back into coaching in 2027, and he shouldn’t have to wait long. Tomlin is expected to be the top coaching candidate on the market next year, and lots of teams will want his services. The Jets, an organization known for dysfunction and a meddling owner in recent years, would be viewed as an odd choice for a coach that could have any open job he wants (and maybe some of the filled ones, too).
On Thursday, a new report surfaced detailing the demands Tomlin would need to be met if he were to accept the Jets job.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin Reveals His Demands to Be Head Coach of the Jets
GettyPITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 04: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts prior to the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium on January 04, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
Most coaches of Tomlin’s pedigree have some demands when taking a new job. A certain salary, roster control, the ability to hire certain assistants or coordinators. Some take it as far as wanting to bring in their favorite players or a house in a specific neighborhood.
Tomlin, though, has something else in mind if he were to be hired by the Jets: an ownership stake. Tony Pauline of EssentiallySports said his sources, which he notes accurately informed him of Jets-related news back in January, are confident that Tomlin would make that request contingent on him taking the job.
“[My sources] believe the only way Tomlin coaches the Jets in 2027 would be to receive a piece of the team from Woody Johnson,” Pauline wrote. “The expected demand for a stake in a team is not only Tomlin’s desire to be part owner of a franchise, but the price it would cost to get him to lead a dysfunctional organization such as the Jets.”
Tomlin had it good for nearly two decades in Pittsburgh, coaching one of the league’s most well-run organizations in the Steelers. The Jets? Not so much.
Would Former Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin Consider a Return to the Sidelines So Soon?
GettyPITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 04: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Aaron Rodgers #8 embrace after the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium on January 04, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
“I was told that even though Tomlin loves the studio work in the early going, he’s still too close to the game and would entertain the possibility of returning to the sidelines in 2027,” Pauline continued. “Tomlin will be the hot name for teams needing a new head coach after the upcoming season, but it’s going to take a king’s ransom for Woody Johnson and the Jets to snag him, if they are one of those teams. It could very well turn into a Mike Vrabel situation where Tomlin uses the Jets to get the job he ultimately wants.”
Ex-Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin Reveals Demands for Next Job: Report