Oddsmakers Expect Mike Tomlin to Return to Steelers in 2024

Oddsmakers are expecting Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin to return to the team for the 2024 season.

According to odds posted by SportsBetting.ag, Tomlin is a 1/5 or -500 favorite to return as the head coach of the Steelers in 2024.

Tomlin, 51, is in his 17th season as the head coach of the Steelers. He has a 170-100-2 record, which is 13th in NFL history in wins, and holds a .629 winning percentage, which is better than all but three post-merger coaches with more wins than he has, Bill Belichick, Andy Reid and Don Shula.

Like Belichick, though, the recent results have not been up to the prior standard, and that has led to speculation that a separation may be in the cards. Tomlin has one year remaining on his contract after this season, so the Steelers would have to fire him, or Tomlin agree to step aside in order for him to not be back.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

Another option is that that has been floated recently is that the Steelers could try to trade Tomlin to a team like the Washington Commanders or Los Angeles Chargers that might pay top dollar for an experienced head coach. Head coach trades have been lucrative for some teams. The New Orleans Saints got first- and second-round picks from the Denver Broncos in exchange for coach Sean Payton last offseason. Payton had already been relieved of his duties by the Saints, but remained under contract.

The oddsmakers actually think Tomlin coaching for a different team in 2024 is the least-likely scenario, though.

After returning to the Steelers at 1/5, the other options are working in the media at 3/1 or +300 and taking a year off at 4/1 or +400. Coaching another team brings up the rear at 7/1 or +700.

In an odds list of who might be the next head coach of the Chargers, who recently fired Brandon Staley, Tomlin was not listed among the top 16 options, which included such long shots as Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders at 50/1 and former quarterback Phillip Rivers at 100/1.