Ryan Clark has been vocal about Mike Tomlin’s coaching future. Now he is open about his own. The former Steelers safety hinted that he would think about joining Tomlin’s staff if the coach returns to the NFL.

“Wonder if Coach T comes back to coaching next year, if he’ll put his hiring where his mouth was on @craigmelvin ’s “Glass Half Full”. I mean, everyone needs a Pass Game Coordinator, DB Coach, assistant head coach, right? He’s one of two people who could get me to consider it… or could go be an executive with him,” Ryan Clark posted on X.

Clark won a Super Bowl playing for Tomlin, and through 2025 he kept saying the two sides might be better off apart, even while insisting Tomlin was ‘unfirable’.

“I believe Mike Tomlin should coach in another organization,” Clark said in 2025. “Mike Tomlin should be the fresh voice somewhere else. I believe, as great as a coach as he is, and he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer, I believe his voice has run stale there. I believe he’s allowed that team to reach the highest of heights they are going to reach unless they get a top-tier quarterback.”

Tomlin did eventually move on. After 19 seasons in Pittsburgh, he stepped down following the 2025 season. NBC Sports announced in April that it had hired him as an analyst on “Football Night in America,” and he has said he enjoys taking in the game from a football lover’s perspective.

Even so, the chatter about a return has not gone away. For now, Tomlin is not feeding it.

“I haven’t given one iota of thought about coaching,” Tomlin said. “I’m sure that some of that is going to come up in the not-too-distant future. But I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. I’m really excited about my new role and working to get better every week.”

However, a return is not out of the picture entirely either. He did say “never say never” when it comes to a potential return to coaching, and Front Office Sports reported recently that he’ll be in high demand should he choose to come back. But it all depends on Tomlin’s decision, and perhaps the money offered to him.

Clark’s interest makes sense once you look at what Tomlin built. The former head coach, in his 19 seasons in that role, never posted a losing season. The Steelers reached the playoffs 13 times in his tenure and delivered a Super Bowl title. A resume like that keeps a coach in the conversation, even from a broadcast booth.

The Steelers also have a say in any comeback. Tomlin signed an extension in 2024 that could have kept him through the 2027 season. Because he resigned while still under contract, Pittsburgh holds his coaching rights and could negotiate compensation if he returns to an NFL sideline before the end of 2027, per ESPN.

Clark also thinks the split has worked out for the team. Speaking on “The Pivot,” he said the change helped both sides.

“I can say this because I played for Mike Tomlin. As I felt like his voice was getting stale in the locker room, I kept saying maybe both people could use a change of scenery,” Clark said. “Meaning the team and Mike Tomlin. This team under Mike McCarthy seems more locked in on the details. They seem to have a better vision and understanding of who they need to be,” he added.

Ryan Clark has spent his post-football career in studios, working for ESPN and building his own project via The Pivot Podcast. He was let go by ESPN earlier this year as part of layoffs, which could perhaps allow him to give the idea of coaching some serious thought. Clark spent 13 seasons in the NFL, after all. He was firsthand recommended by Tomlin on the Glass Half Full podcast, when asked about a player who should be coaching.

“Maybe one day,” Clark said in response, honored by the fact that Tomlin chose him.

So the pieces are all on the table. Tomlin has not ruled out coaching forever, only for now. Clark is willing to listen. And the Steelers still hold the rights. Whether those pieces ever fit together is something only time will answer.

The post “Could Get Me To Consider It”: Ryan Clark Hints at Joining Mike Tomlin’s Staff if He Returns to NFL appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.