The 2026 NFL season will kick off on Wednesday, Sept. 9, when the Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots in a Super Bowl 60 rematch.
For the first time since 2006, Mike Tomlin will not be preparing for a season opener of his own with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Instead, the long-time NFL coach will be a part of NBC's coverage of the Seahawks-Patriots matchup, serving as an analyst for the network's "Football Night In America" pregame show.
The irony of Tomlin's new position is not lost on the 54-year-old, as he explained in a recent interview with Craig Melvin of "Today."
"I've trained myself over the years to tune out some of what I refer to as noise," Tomlin said. "Now, the noise is my business."
Tomlin spent 19 seasons as the Steelers' head
coach, leading the team to a Super Bowl 48 win over the Arizona Cardinals while never logging a losing season. His 193 regular-season wins are tied with Chuck Noll, another Steelers legend, for the ninth-most in NFL history.
As such, Tomlin's move to the analyst's desk is marked change for him after he spent the last 25 years coaching in the NFL.
Even so, he wasn't exactly sure how to describe any type of learning curve he was facing during his transition to the broadcast world.
"I don't know, 'cause I have nothing to compare it to," the former Steelers coach said. "It's been a fun process to be a novice at something."
Tomlin already made his broadcast debut during the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame preseason game between the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers.
Nonetheless, the 54-year-old explained that he is dealing with "a little bit of performance anxiety" as he acclimates to his role during the 2026 NFL season.
"It's good. I like that," Tomlin said. "I like being on edge. I like being the newbie."
Tomlin has also enjoyed getting some time away from the grind that came with the rigorous schedule required of an NFL coach.
"I never knew what I was missing," Tomlin said. "So it's a new world for me."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Mike Tomlin is welcoming 'a little bit of performance anxiety' in new job
