Sean Payton Gives Nice Praise to Pittsburg Steelers' Mike Tomlin

Sean Payton Gives Nice Praise to Pittsburg Steelers' Mike TomlinStory byRoundtable Sports (Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)Jon ConahanThu, January 15, 2026 at 3:10 AM UTC·2 min read

The news of Mike Tomlin stepping away from the Pittsburgh Steelers was one that not everyone expected, but many had a lot of good to say about one of the legends in the game.

Coaches like Tomlin simply don’t become available or leave very often until they decide to retire, but it doesn’t sound like that’s fully the case, although he isn’t expected to coach next season.

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Sean Payton, who is the had coac of the Denver Broncos and has a massive playoff game coming up, formed a nice relationship with Tomlin and had very nice things to say about hi.

“I heard that," Payton said, per Broncos Wire. "First off, man, congratulations on an amazing — and I’m not going to assume his — but his run there ... the consistency and the staying power, the wins. Those guys [Tomlin and Harbaugh] are close friends, and that means two or three more coaches that I have to ask somebody where they are pregame that I don’t recognize.

"But I heard about it on the field, so I haven’t talked to Mike. He’s a close friend. Anytime I get these black and yellow Jordans, he’s the same size as me. I send them to him. I’m like, ‘Man, I’d never wear these colors,’ but anyway, I wish him well. He’s a close friend, just as John is. It’s part of the game.”

Tomlin’s history speaks for itself, as there’s an argument to be made that he’s one of the greatest coaches of all time.

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The Jordan Sneaker talk is funny, but it also goes to show that they had a nice connection.

From a broader NFL standpoint, Tomlin’s decision was massive. Pittsburgh is now forced into a transition it hasn’t faced in decades, and it will have to do what’s needed to ensure that it can still be the team it always has been.

While we don’t know who the Steelers will hire, we know that Payton won’t be the head coach. He has a great gig with the Broncos and a chance to win the Super Bowl this year if they do what’s needed.

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