Long-time Steelers coach Mike Tomlin will be in Seattle on Wednesday night, for the first regular-season game of the 2026 NFL campaign. After the 272nd contest concludes, the coaching carousel will hit top gear. And Tomlin likely will be in position to take any available job he wants.

Will he return to coaching?

“Never say never,” Tomlin recently told NBC’s Cris Collinsworth, via Nick Kosko of On3.com.

Here’s the full quote: “It’s certainly not a 32-team league for me, but I’ve also learned to never say never. I love to coach. I love all the challenges of the profession. I love to be a part of growth and development of young people individually. I love the measurement of the seven-day cycle, but also have enjoyed, man, the last six months life on this other side that I had no idea about.”

One month ago today, Tomlin and Collinsworth discussed a potential return to coaching during the Hall of Fame game.

“I haven’t thought a whole lot about it yet, because I don’t feel like I’m missing anything yet,” Tomlin said at the time. “You know, when those regular-season balls start snapping, that’s when I’ll start, you know, getting a little twitch a little bit.”

Tomlin will be present when the first regular-season balls start snapping. He’ll know whether he misses it enough to return. And he’ll surely be hearing about potential 2027 opportunities through the backchannels.

The door is clearly open. Five years ago, when Tomlin was asked about speculation regarding the possibility of taking a college coaching job (specifically at USC), he said, “Never say never, but never.”

The absence of “but never” this time around confirms that he hasn’t ruled out a second act. He has the luxury of waiting for the right spot to open up, and the leverage to secure top dollar in the coaching market.

With Tomlin appearing on NBC every Sunday night, one or more owners will be getting the same “little twitch” Tomlin may be feeling, if they don’t already have it. And most of them can afford to make Tomlin an offer he can’t refuse.

And all it takes is one — especially if it comes from the owner of the small handful of teams where Tomlin would envision a path to prompt contention.