Thursday’s “First Call” advances some new talking points about Mike Tomlin’s resignation. Another NFC team is being linked to Pittsburgh Steelers assistant general manager Andy Weidl. The Penguins have a tough game to close out their schedule before the Olympic break.
And a very familiar name may be making a return to the Duquesne football team.
New angle
Fox’s Jay Glazer was making the media rounds on Radio Row at the Super Bowl on Wednesday. He stopped by the “Jim Rome Show,” attempting to lend some clarity to why Mike Tomlin resigned after coaching the Steelers for 19 years.
“I talked to him (Tuesday). He is happy being a dad. And he wants to get himself healthy,” Glazer said. “Now let’s see what happens in a year, two, three. Right now, his mindset, ‘I’m done.’”
That’s the first time health has ever been brought into the equation with Tomlin. Glazer offered no further details, and Rome didn’t press for any regarding what getting “himself healthy” meant.
Is Mike Tomlin done coaching for GOOD?? @JayGlazer pic.twitter.com/ZekHor6eXZ
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) February 4, 2026
Rome followed up by asking if this decision was about family “or something else.” Glazer responded, “Family. He’s done it. He wants to be a dad.”
Tomlin’s daughter, Harley, is currently a gymnast at Georgia. He has been seen at their competitions since his retirement.
Glazer added (during a visit to the “Nightcap” podcast) that Tomlin told him and former Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber two years ago that he’d be done at the end of 2025, and he reiterated that belief as recently as Week 8 of this season. But Tomlin asked Glazer to sit on the story. He did until Tomlin told his players at the end of the season.
Barber made similar comments recently about a conversation he had with Tomlin prior to the 2025 campaign.
Wondering about Weidl
Steelers assistant general manager Andy Weidl’s name is being attached to the open GM job in Minnesota. This is after Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired there late last week.
Vikings beat writer Alec Lewis of The Athletic lumped Weidl’s name to the Vikings’ post, along with 11 others.
“The Vikings would love to replicate the Philadelphia Eagles’ recent success,” Lewis wrote. “Weidl spent six seasons with Philadelphia under general manager Howie Roseman. He is well thought of throughout the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers poached him in 2022 with the intention of creating an evaluation process similar to what the Eagles have built. Weidl was first schooled as a scout under legendary Baltimore Ravens executive Ozzie Newsome. Weidl recently interviewed for the Atlanta Falcons’ general manager position. Atlanta chose another former Eagles executive, Ian Cunningham, underscoring the league’s respect for what Philadelphia’s front office has done.”
It’s interesting that most of the flowers thrown at Weidl’s feet were associated with his time in Philly as opposed to his four years in Pittsburgh.
The Vikings have stated they won’t hire a new general manager until after this year’s draft.
More sports
• U mad, bro?: Steelers fans angry about a lack of faith in Mike McCarthy and Will Howard• Shocked by Mike Tomlin’s exit, Cam Heyward speaks highly of Mike McCarthy
• Penn State’s Gavin McKenna faces felony aggravated assault charge
Shuffling off to Buffalo
The suddenly stumbling Penguins are wrapping up their pre-Olympics schedule with a road game in Buffalo on Thursday night.
The Pens have lost their past two games by scores of 3-2 at home against Ottawa on Thursday and 5-4 in overtime on the road against the New York Islanders.
That defeat against the Isles featured three different blown leads, including a 4-3 margin with just over 10 minutes left in the third period.
HORVAT CALLED GAME. pic.twitter.com/REvEjsd7uG
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 4, 2026
Pittsburgh also yielded four third-period goals against the New York Rangers on Saturday but still managed to win 6-5 in regulation. That contest was the last of six straight wins for the organization.
Now the Penguins (28-15-12) visit a Buffalo squad (32-18-6) that currently holds the Eastern Conference’s top wild card spot with 70 points.
Since Jan. 20, the Sabres have won six of their past eight games, and have failed to register a point in just one of them — a 4-2 loss in Montreal on Saturday.
The Sabres average 3.39 goals per game, sixth-most in the NHL. That’s 0.01 better than the Pens, who are in seventh place.
Pittsburgh is 10th in goals against per game at 2.91. Buffalo is 14th at 3.05. Both teams have penalty kill units in the top 10 as well. The Pens are third at 84.2%. The Sabres are ninth at 82.1%.
Dan Muse’s Pens currently own the second spot in the Metropolitan Division with 68 points.
Back on the Bluff?
A coaching info website called Footballscoop.com recently ran a story stating that Greg Gattuso is returning to the Duquesne football team. The former head coach of the Dukes would be making a return to the Bluff in some sort of supervisory capacity when it comes to running the defense. It’s unclear if that title will be “defensive coordinator” or not.
The most recent DC of the Dukes, Mickey Jacobs, left the team this offseason to join the UConn Huskies as their linebackers coach.
Based on a source I’ve communicated with who has knowledge of that situation, that news is “not official yet, but that is the plan.”
Gattuso, who spent last season as a senior defensive analyst at Penn State. Before that, he spent 10 years at Albany, going to the FCS playoffs twice in that time.
Before that, Gattuso was 97-32 over 12 years as Duquesne’s head coach. Current head coach Jerry Schmitt took over for Gattuso in 2005 and has accumulated a 135-92 record since, with three FCS postseason appearances.
The Dukes have outright won or shared the NEC title eight times in that span.
