The 2026 NFL season has a unique Wednesday Night start with a Super Bowl rematch as the New England Patriots try to get some measure of revenge on the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.
The special broadcast on NBC has fans excited about the start of a new NFL season. But it also marks the debut of Mike Tomlin in a studio analyst role for the first time for a regular-season game broadcast. So far, through the pregame, a verdict is starting to come through for the veteran head coach.
Fans Remain Split About Mike Tomlin as an Analyst
Stepping down from his role as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, a position he’d occupied for nearly two decades, Tomlin quickly signed a deal with NBC Sports as an analyst on “Football Night In America.”
Now, as the season kicked off, he was front and center at the network, and it was taking some fans time to get used to the new reality for the former Super Bowl champion.
“Get Mike Tomlin off my television screen. I don’t care about you,” one fan claimed.
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However, others were extremely happy with the addition, claiming, “Mike Tomlin is so good at TV. What a great addition for NBC.”
Mike Tomlin is so good at TV. What a great addition for NBC.
— 𝐁𝐢𝐠𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐨 🥶 (@BigHuncho3722) September 9, 2026
That kind of divide was hard to ignore. As some were bemoaning, “Do we have to listen to Tomlin all night long?”
Others couldn’t be more excited about the prospect, arguing, “Awesome to see Mike Tomlin on TV. Big fan of Tomlin! Great addition.”
Do we have to listen to Tomlin all night long?
— Dasum LC69 (@1969johncrone) September 9, 2026
Some corners of the internet believed it was an outright bad choice by Tomlin. “Mike Tomlin should’ve just rode off into the sunset. This TV gig thing is kinda lame,” But they at least understood why he would do it. “Can’t blame him if someone wants to throw money at him.”
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For some Steelers fans, it was undeniably a welcome addition to the booth, as one fan claimed, “Mike Tomlin fits this role like a glove #Steelers #NFL.”
However, for those who weren’t high on the defensive mastermind, the sentiment remained, “An hour of Mike Tomlin talking? Yeah, no thanks.”
Mike Tomlin fits this role like a glove #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/pOdZKvwkJg
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) September 9, 2026
Unfortunately, his season debut wasn’t without flaws, as one fan quickly pointed out, “Mike Tomlin keep calling JSN ‘JNS’. Dude ain’t do enough research to be on the podium as an analyst yet.”
As a result, he was corrected by host Maria Taylor, with one account capturing the clip.
Maria Taylor correcting Mike Tomlin after repeatedly calling JSN, JNS. 🤣 #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/LiqxvXlbF2
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) September 9, 2026
The player in question, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, was arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL last season, winning the Offensive Player of the Year award after an incredible year in which he tallied 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns.
That’s what made Tomlin’s error all the more problematic. However, for those who were fans of his delivery style, he remained a “delightful watch,” and NBC was a great way to get insight from him. “Genuinely enjoying getting my Tomlin fix on NBC.”
It remains to be seen how the rest of his tenure shakes out. But some fans are already enjoying the work he’s putting in for NBC. Given that he’s relatively new in his tenure, it will be interesting to see if he can become as popular as Tom Brady has gotten in his role.
But with his adjustment to the booth and commentary style quickly becoming popular with the NFL fan base, it is possible that Tomlin sees a similar trajectory as well.
