I started looking into Mike Tomlin because I wanted to know if Dallas had any connections to the team and I found a few surprising links.
What I found gave me more reason to consider him because the people who helped shape Mike Tomlin’s career were people Jerry Jones trusted with the Cowboys. Someone in the Cowboys’ front office has already talked about what he likes about Tomlin.
That’s where we will start.
Stephen Jones Made Part of the Case
In October 2024, Stephen Jones called Tomlin “one of the great defensive minds” and discussed his connections to Monte Kiffin and Rod Marinelli. Jones’ full statement below:
“Obviously consistency, winning, but they’re running their same defense I think they ran before we got in the league with them. They tweak it. Don’t get me wrong, Coach Tomlin’s one of the great defensive minds in this game, well aware. He got brought up under Monte Kiffin and Rod Marinelli, and we were obviously very familiar, familiar with that group. But they’re just consistent the way they play defense, the way they’re physical. They just play winning-caliber football and do thing on a consistent bases to where they’re able to put a winning product on the field year in and year out.
Mike Tomlin coached Tampa Bay’s defensive backs from 2001 through 2005, working under Jon Gruden, Kiffin, and alongside Marinelli. Both later coached in Dallas. Tomlin credited their preparation and teaching with helping him develop personally and professionally.
Rich Bisaccia worked on Tampa Bay’s staff, too, before spending five seasons coaching the Cowboys’ special teams. Jerry has employed several coaches who worked with Tomlin. That gives Dallas some familiar names and an insight into how he operates.
There is also Mike McCarthy, who publicly called Tomlin a friend when Pittsburgh hired him. If Tomlin wanted to ask about coaching Dak Prescott or working with Jerry, he knows somebody who could give him a few answers.
All of this may or may not mean anything, but it does give us more to talk about than a coach’s name and a couple of Super Bowl rings.
Three Cowboys Know His Expectations
We know how much the Cowboys like Steelers’ players, so why not go after a former Steelers coach? He would have plenty of players who know him and what he is about.
George Pickens, Joey Porter Jr., and Broderick Jones all played for Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh. Now they’re together in Dallas.
I can see that helping a transition. Tomlin has coached those guys, and he knows more about them than he could learn from watching the Cowboys’ film.
George Pickens could be the one to complicate the hire. Tomlin publicly challenged his maturity, and Pittsburgh traded him while Tomlin was the head coach. I don’t know if either would want a reunion.
The potential cost of hiring Mike Tomlin is worth watching, too.
Steelers Now reported in August that Mike Florio did not expect the Steelers to get draft compensation if Tomlin returned to coaching in 2027. They do not expect the Steelers to recover picks, but this hasn’t been officially confirmed.
Hiring him might not cost any draft picks, and for a team that would still need to improve their roster, having those picks would make a difference.
Mike Tomlin Will Need to have an Offensive Plan
Mike Tomlin went 19 seasons without a losing record. That deserves some respect, but his time in Pittsburgh also ended without a playoff victory since 2016.
If Jerry moves on from Schottenheimer, I want Tomlin interviewed, and I want to know who’s running his offense.
That would be a major part of my decision process. Dallas needs someone who can get consistent production out of this offense and Dak Prescott. Tomlin would need to explain his choice of coach to lead the offense.
He and Jerry would also need to settle who makes the coaching decisions before signing anything.
The connections make Mike Tomlin worth a phone call, and I’d take him seriously. But I would hire him based off the staff he plans to bring with him to Dallas, with his final year in Pittsburgh very much part of the conversation.
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