Tomlin told his players that he plans to step away from coaching. We’re not completely sure that he’ll be content with a booth gig, and at the very least other NFL teams will spend the next 36-48 hours trying to change his mind on that. Tomlin was 193-114-2 in his 19 years as Steelers head coach, winning a Super Bowl in 2008 and going to another in 2010. The end of his career became a morass of tough defensive teams that didn’t have a quarterback as Ben Roethlisberger declined, and yet Tomlin persisted in dragging the team to the playoffs in five of the last six seasons anyway. The Steelers head coaching vacancy figures to be an extremely attractive one for other head coaches, but Tomlin has set a standard that will be hard to match.

It’s true that the Chargers were dealing with a precarious offensive position without star tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, but no team with Justin Herbert and the amount of skill position talent this one had should have struggled to put up six points against the Patriots in the playoffs. Several Chargers played were non-committal about Roman’s return after the game and star safety Derwin James said Herbert was “fighting for his life” back there. So, there you have it. Jim Harbaugh will be looking for his first non-Roman offensive coordinator in the NFL. As for Roman, John Harbaugh is looking for a new spot right now. The Chargers also fired offensive line coach Mike Devlin.

A dejected Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh was non-committal about Roman’s return as OC following LA’s blowout loss to the Patriots on Sunday night — a loss that saw Justin Herbert have one of his worst games as a pro as the Chargers scored just three points. The team’s offensive lineman, including Bradley Bozeman, were circumspect when asked whether Roman should return as the team’s OC in 2026 and call plays. “That’s their call upstairs,” Bozeman told The Athletic. Widely considered a run-first coordinator, Roman’s Bolts offense in 2025 ranked eighth in pass rate over expected, ranking 13th in total pass attempts. It would hardly be a shock if the Chargers moved on from Roman after two mediocre seasons.

Carolina general manager Dan Morgan said Tuesday that the team would exercise Young’s option. Young in 2025 showed signs of life as a viable starting NFL quarterback, posting career highs in drop back success rate (45 percent) and adjusted yards per attempt (6.3). Young now has 49 touchdowns to 30 interceptions over three NFL seasons. Morgan added Tuesday that the Panthers were “up in the air” about a long-term deal for Young, 24. He’ll be the team’s starter for at least the next two years in any case.

Stefanski, the two-time head coach of the year during his tenure with the Browns, could have his choice of open head coaching gigs. He’s interviewed with the Falcons, Giants, Ravens, and Titans, and now is in talks with a Dolphins team that recently fired Mike McDaniel. Stefanski during his time with Cleveland was a creative offensive play designer and play caller who was hamstrung by ownership with a Deshaun Watson contract that ranks among the worst in the history of pro sports. His history of quarterback development will be appealing to any team looking to get the most out of their young QBs.

Tomlin said after the Steelers’ Wild Card loss to the Texans that he was not in the “mindset” to make a decision on whether he’ll return to Pittsburgh in 2026. “I’m more in the mindset of what transpired in this stadium, and certainly what we did and didn’t do. Not a big-picture mentality as I sit here tonight,” Tomlin told reporters after yet another first-round playoff exit for his Steelers. Florio points out that Tomlin, who will turn 54 in March, has been coaching since the mid-90s when he started at Virginia Military Institute following his playing career. He’s won 63 percent of his games over 19 years as Steelers head coach. “For now, the question is whether Tomlin wants to spend a 20th year with the Steelers,” Florio said. “On one hand, why wouldn’t he? On the other hand, hearing the ‘fire Tomlin!’ chants during the Week 13 loss to Buffalo may have caused him to rethink sticking around in a place where, come next year, those chants could get louder.”

Monken hasn’t parted ways with the Ravens quite yet, but there’s no way he’ll stay on with the team after John Harbaugh was fired in part for refusing to fire Monken. Monken’s Ravens offense was one of the league’s most efficient units over the past few seasons. His work with Baker Mayfield in Cleveland for one season could make Monken an appealing hire for a Bucs team looking to right the offensive ship after a rocky second half of the 2025 season.

It’s Daboll’s first head coaching interview request since being fired by the Giants in November following a 2-8 start to the season. Daboll’s tenure with New York got off to a solid start but quickly crumbled, turning into one of the NFL’s most toxic situations. Perhaps his work with a young Josh Allen in Buffalo is appealing to a Titans franchise looking for a head coach who can maximize Cam Ward after an uneven rookie season.

Kirk served as quarterback C.J. Stroud’s primary option throughout as alpha wide receiver Nico Collins drew lockdown shadow coverage from standout corner Joey Porter Jr. That role only grew in the fourth quarter following Collins’ departure due to a concussion, an ailment that has a good chance of keeping him sidelined through the team’s Divisional Round matchup against the Patriots next weekend. Jayden Higgins will likely step into the primary perimeter role in the absence of Collins after catching 3-of-4 targets for 39 yards against the Steelers, while Xavier Hutchinson and Jaylin Noel split WR3 duties.

The curtain call season from the veteran signal caller was far from pretty but he still managed to get the team into the postseason, a run that ended with a pitiful offensive showing against the league’s top defense. The Steelers went just 2-for-14 on third down and gained only 175 yards of total offense. Even so, the Steelers entered the fourth quarter down by only one point as their defense generated three turnovers to keep the team in the game. Rodgers is uncertain about his future (what’s new?) but has continued to hint that this would be his final season in the league. His 21-year professional career could be over after amassing 66,274 yards, 527 touchdowns, and a 1.4% interception rate. The yards and touchdowns each rank in the top five in NFL history while his interception rate goes down as an NFL record. It certainly appears likely that the final pass attempt of Rodgers’ career will go down as a pick-six during Pittsburgh’s seventh straight playoff loss.