Mike Tomlin’s future may be at a crossroads, especially if the Pittsburgh Steelers fall flat in Week 18 and miss the playoffs. With plenty of speculation about what lies ahead for Tomlin amid a 2027 team option decision due in March, SI.com’s NFL insider Albert Breer thinks Tomlin could look to step away. Breer already has a name generating buzz to possibly replace him — LA Rams DC Chris Shula.

“The Steelers, Ravens and Bills have generated conversation in recent weeks. Is there any reality to it? I don’t think these would be firings. But there is some thought that Mike Tomlin could look at a reset, with the Pittsburgh roster potentially going through one soon too, and take a year or two in TV before returning to the sideline,” Breer wrote. “And interestingly enough, Shula’s name has been connected to the Steelers, in case there is an opening.”

Adam Schefter has been speculating about the potential for Tomlin to make a move to television while he plans his next NFL move. Normally that would be notable, but this same storyline has come up every year in December and January for the last three or four seasons. What makes Breer’s report more notable is the fact that he is already connecting the name of a possible successor in Pittsburgh. I’m not sure we’ve heard anything like that over the last few years, despite the constant speculation about Tomlin’s job.

If the Steelers decline Tomlin’s option and set up a lame-duck season, maybe he could decide to move on. At least one Steelers insider thinks the first part of that is possible.

Let’s just assume for the sake of conversation that Tomlin does move on and Sunday is his last game in Pittsburgh. Shula could make some sense as a guy who fits the profile to be the Steelers’ next head coach.

For one, there are indirect historical ties between the Steelers and the Shula family. Chris Shula’s grandfather Don, who holds the all-time win record for a head coach in the NFL, hired Chuck Noll to be his defensive coordinator and backfield coach. The Steelers hired Noll, in a move that would change the franchise forever, directly from Shula’s staff with the Baltimore Colts in 1969. Shula spoke highly of Noll to Dan Rooney, who was leading the search for the Steelers’ next head coach, per Bob Labriola on Steelers.com.

Chris Shula’s father, Dave, was a former head coach for the Cincinnati Bengals, but he also served on that Miami Dolphins staff as a WR and QB coach.

It’s also worth noting that former Steelers GM Kevin Colbert served five seasons as a college scout with the Miami Dolphins when Shula was the head coach there.

Chris Shula was a defensive coordinator at John Carroll in 2014 when Steelers QB coach Tom Arth was the head coach there.

Beyond the history that the Shula family tangentially has with several current and former Steelers, he fits the profile of what the organization has hired in the past.

He was just promoted to his first NFL coordinator job in 2024 under Sean McVay with the LA Rams. He led the No. 8 scoring defense in the league this season which was a dramatic improvement from his first season. The last three Steelers head coaches were defensive coordinators before getting hired. Pittsburgh also places a high value on NFL bloodlines and the deep understanding of the industry that comes with that. The NFL bloodlines don’t get much thicker than what runs in the Shula family.

Perhaps most importantly, Shula is just 39 years old. Noll was 37 and Bill Cowher and Tomlin were both 34 when they were hired. The Steelers like youth because they place such an emphasis on continuity with historically long tenures with the team.

It’s worth noting that Teryl Austin’s contract should be expiring after this season. Could Shula make a lateral move to come to Pittsburgh as the next DC? For what it’s worth, Breer also connected Shula to the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants openings. He could just be the hot name that is generating buzz everywhere.

For now, this is just something for us all to stash in the back of our heads. But it’s interesting that an NFL insider has heard buzz about this possibility.