It’s fair to say Florida is hotter than Pittsburgh most of the time, and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was certainly feeling that in Palm Beach on Monday morning.
In a series of clips that surfaced on social media from the NFL’s Annual League Meeting, the 53-year-old sparked concern from fans by appearing to sweat profusely while being interviewed by reporters.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Tomlin fielded plenty of questions on the possibility of Aaron Rodgers being his quarterback next season, but his answers were overshadowed by the coach repeatedly wiping his forehead.
Tomlin appeared to be sweating from every pore and fans even noticed his eyes were bloodshot, with the clip quickly going viral on X.
‘Damn, they doing the interview in the sauna?’ one fan wrote, while another added: ‘Someone check in on Mike Tomlin, this is excessive sweat.’
A third asked: ‘Is Tomlin okay bro? He sweating’, with a crying emoji.
Mike Tomlin repeatedly wiped his forehead and appeared to be sweating in his interviews
Tomlin is perhaps more used to the temperatures further north in Pittsburgh
The Steelers lost another Wildcard playoff game to end their 2024 season and ramp up the pressure on the head coach, and Tomlin was seemingly feeling that as attention turned to 2025.
When speaking about Rodgers, Tomlin said of the QB: ‘He’s a free agent. As you guys know, he came to visit last Friday. We had a really productive day.
‘He’s been in this thing a long time, I’ve been in this thing a long time, but there’s no substitute for intimacy, and spending time together getting to know one another in a non-competitive environment. So that was really good, but I don’t have any new updates.’
When asked if it was unsettling to not have a QB tied down by April, Tomlin responded: ‘I’m really comfortable with being unsettled at this time of year, to be quite honest with you.
Tomlin fielded plenty of questions over whether Aaron Rodgers will be his next quarterback
Tomlin is more often seen with a jacket and hat on in Pittsburgh’s more manageable climate
‘It’s about talent acquisition, we got two main means of acquiring talent: free agency and the draft. We multitask, we do both. I’ve learned over the years that this time of year, it’s a process.’
As it stands, the Steelers have Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson in their QB room, and Rodgers remains the most likely option for next season.
Pittsburgh’s first pick in the draft comes at No. 21 and while Shedeur Sanders has been tipped by some to tumble down the boards, it is not expected that he’ll be available for them in the lower end of the first round.
Other draft options that could be available are Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart and Tyler Shough from Louisville.
