Steelers Next Head Coach Odds: NFL Legacy Early Favorite To Replace Mike Tomlin

By Bill Speros

Jan 23rd, 2026 4:29 PM EST

Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers parted ways after the team's first-round playoff loss. Who will be his replacement? Let's take a look at our Steelers Next Head Coach Odds. Tomlin stood as the longest-tenured NFL coach at 19 seasons. HIs Steelers lost to Houston 30-6 in an AFC Wild Card game on Jan. 12.

Tomlin informed the team that he was stepping down as just the third coach of the Steelers since 1969. That defeat to Houston was Pittsburgh's seventh straight playoff loss dating to the 2016 season. Tomlin will have no problem either finding another NFL coaching gig, or more likely, a spot as a TV analyst.

But question is now asked: Who will be the just the fourth Steelers head coach in the past half-century?

Coaching vacancies are rampant across the NFL. The opportunity in Pittsburgh immediately ranks among the most coveted. The Rooney Family values loyalty. And it changes coaches about as often as England changes monarchs.

In leaving on his own, Tomlin gives ownership an out in having to answer to a fanbase that has not celebrated a playoff win in 9 years. Since the Steelers last won a playoff game, Tom Brady has won 3 Super Bowls, retired, gotten divorced, and spent two seasons in the NFL on FOX booth as the network's top in-game analyst.

Next Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Odds

Here are the latest Bookies.com odds for the Steelers next head coach from Analyst Jared Kimble.

Chris Boan contributed to the writeup below. These odds were updated on Jan. 23, 2026.

Our top pick to replace Tomlin is the grandson of an NFL hall of famer, with Chris Shula of the Los Angeles Rams checking in at +190, as the 39-year-old Florida native looks to land his first head coaching role in 2026.

Shula (the grandson of Don) has been with the Rams since 2017, working his way up from assistant linebackers coach to defensive coordinator, while helping the club reach the NFC Championship Game for the first time since winning it all in 2021.  

Outside of L.A., keep an eye on former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy (+450 odds on our board).

Another leading contender to replace Tomlin is former Miami Dolphins head coach and current Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores (+550), who will look to show Steelers brass that his 24-25 tenure with the Dolphins from 2019 to 2021 was anything but a fluke.  

The other leading contenders to replace Tomlin include former Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott and Rams passing game coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase, who are both listed at +1750.

During his 18-year run with Green Bay and Dallas, McCarthy went 174-112-2, including an even 11-11 record in the postseason, though he never reached the playoffs in five seasons with the Cowboys from 2020 to 2024.

Scheelhaase is an up-and-comer, with the 35-year-old going from serving as Iowa State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2023 to being the Rams passing game coordinator in 2024 and 2025.  

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Which Longshots Could Land Steelers Job?  

Other names to keep an eye on when it comes to the Steelers opening include Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who joins Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and former Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, all at +2000 on our Pittsburgh odds board.  

Kubiak (the son of former Houston Texans and Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak) has been an NFL offensive coordinator since 2024, doing so for the New Orleans Saints last year before coming to the Emerald City in 2025.

Prior to that, the junior Kubiak served as the offensive coordinator of the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2021 in addition to a number of lower level assistant coaching roles in the NCAA and NFL ranks.

Weaver has been the Dolphins defensive coordinator for two years, previously serving as the assistant head coach and defensive line coach of the Baltimore Ravens from 2022 to 2023, with stops along the way with the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and Texans.

Kingsbury has head coaching experience, going 28-37-1 over four seasons in charge of the Arizona Cardinals. Washington let him go after two seasons as the club's OC.

Regardless of who gets the gig, the Steelers are still searching for their next head coach, with the AFC stalwarts needing a new man to lead the franchise in 2026 for the first time since 2007.

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