Transcript

Aaron Rodgers RETIRING? Mike Tomlin’s NEXT MOVE, Pittsburgh Steelers | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD NFL

From The Herd with Colin Cowherd · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 36 min · 6,526 words · 66 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Aaron Rodgers RETIRING? Mike Tomlin’s NEXT MOVE, Pittsburgh Steelers | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD NFL", an episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd published January 14, 2026 (36 min, about 6,526 words). It mentions 23 people, works and ideas, including Mike Tomlin, Colin Cowherd, The Herd, NFL, Aaron Rodgers.

What this episode is about

The discussion centers on the future of the Pittsburgh Steelers following Mike Tomlin's resignation, highlighting the team's need for a new head coach and quarterback amid an aging and costly defense. It emphasizes the importance of embracing a strategy that allows for rebuilding through drafting and taking calculated risks, contrasting this with the Steelers' historical aversion to losing seasons and coaching changes.

Key takeaways

  • Steelers need a reboot: stability without adaptability is a recipe for mediocrity, not excellence.
  • Baltimore's success with Lamar highlights Steelers' missed chances; it's time to swing for the fences.
  • Debt can lead to wealth: NFL teams must embrace risk based on short-term losses for long-term gains.
  • A 20th pick is the NBA's quicksand; the Steelers must embrace a total reset for true growth.
  • Aaron Rodgers: talent sundae with a sprinkle of drama; he’s essential, yet unpredictable in the NFL narrative.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 5:00: Mike Tomlin, Colin Cowherd, Mark Zuckerberg, The Herd
  2. – 10:00: Aaron Rodgers, Mike Tomlin, NFL, Super Bowl
  3. – 15:00: Hard Rock Bet, Mike Tomlin, Mike McDaniel, Sean Payton
  4. – 20:00: Mike Tomlin, The Herd
  5. – 25:00: Super Bowl, Caleb Williams, Sean Payton
  6. – 30:00: Jesse Mentor, Mike Tomlin, The Herd, Caleb Williams
  7. – 35:00: Mike Tomlin, The Herd, NFL
  8. – 35:53: Caleb Williams

Notable quotes from "Aaron Rodgers RETIRING? Mike Tomlin’s NEXT MOVE, Pittsburgh Steelers | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD NFL"

  • So, I was thinking about the Pittsburgh Steelers job opening. Last hour of our show, Mike Tomlin stepped down and there's a lot of things they don't have. A head coach, a…
    about Mike Tomlin · at
  • Because he may retire. What do we think of him? And the way I look at Aaron Rogers is you can't tell the story of the NFL without Aaron Rodgers. In any profession, we can argue best, worst, mid.
    about NFL · at
  • Most quarterbacks are closer, the great ones are closer to like Marino, man, he was great. I can't believe he didn't win a Super Bowl. Far Rogers, man, they were great. They…
    about Super Bowl · at
  • Listen, I had said before Pittsburgh I would take the Vikings gig or retired.
    about Aaron Rodgers · at
  • Mike Tomlin could do TV and so could Vrabel. They're not of TV. It's not their thing. Sean Payton, I worked with him for a year at Fox. He was going back to coaching. So, there's a lot of times I've been critical of Tomlin, but leadership,.
    about Sean Payton · at
  • Your game plan is largely dictated on who are you playing. If you have a the Bears have a backup left tackle, they're going to want Caleb Williams to get rid of the ball…
    about Caleb Williams · at
  • Once again, that's who he is. That's fine. Mike McDaniel, Miami. I don't think he's a head coach. I think he's a brilliant coach, but I think he's a VP, not a president. I think he's a VP. So again, I think those are I think.
    about Mike McDaniel · at
  • If he doesn't want a losing record, that hurts Kevin Stfansky. I think you have to contextualize Kevin Stfansky's career. He coached for Cleveland.
    about Kevin Stefanski · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Mike Tomlin — Person · Core topic (coach opening / legacy evaluation) · 10 mentions · first at
    His stepping away creates the Steelers opening and drives debate about stability, modernization, and team direction.
  • Colin Cowherd — Person · Host · 2 mentions · first at
    Leads the episode’s discussion on NFL coaching openings, Steelers reset strategy, and QB evaluations.
    So, I was thinking about the Pittsburgh Steelers job opening. Last hour of our show, Mike Tomlin stepped down and there's a lot of things they don't have. A head coach, a quarterback for.
  • Aaron Rodgers — Person · Referenced star QB / future decision topic · 3 mentions · first at
    Discussed as a Hall-of-Fame-level QB whose future (retire vs. Vikings vs. Pittsburgh) affects QB market narratives.
  • Kevin Stefanski — Person · Referenced coaching candidate · 1 mention · first at
    Presented as a top candidate who could be sold on a Steelers rebuild because of organizational patience.
  • Caleb Williams — Person · Referenced QB acquisition example · 4 mentions · first at
    Example of how 'being awful' can land a franchise QB; also discussed as a cold-weather arm-strength case.
  • Mike McDaniel — Person · Coaching market reference / critique target · 2 mentions · first at
    Discussed as a hot candidate but then framed as not a true 'head coach' personality (VP vs president).
  • Sean Payton — Person · Referenced coaching exemplar · 2 mentions · first at
    Used as an example of a coach who wins despite constraints; also quoted on playoff offensive aggressiveness.
  • Robert Saleh — Person · Second-chance coaching candidate · 3 mentions
    Argued to be worthy of another chance; his firing is framed as the Jets' turning point downward.
    Robert Salah... I'd be comfortable giving them a second chance.
  • Drake Maye — Person · Referenced QB acquisition example · 1 mention · first at
    Example of how tanking/bottoming out can secure a top QB prospect (Patriots).
    Being awful got the Patriots Drake May.
  • Arch Manning — Person · Future QB target concept · 1 mention · first at
    Named as the kind of elite QB prospect a Steelers 'bottom out' year could position them to draft.
    We think next year we can get Arch Manning and win three games. Load your roster up, win three or four games. I think you have to have the conversation in.
  • Brian Daboll — Person · Second-chance coaching candidate · 1 mention · first at
    Cited as a coach worth rehiring, credited with getting Daniel Jones a playoff win.
    Candidates. Those are proven head coach of the year, double-digit wins, can win a playoff game. I think Robert Salah, Brian Flores, and Brian Dable.
  • Brian Flores — Person · Second-chance coaching candidate · 1 mention · first at
    Presented as deserving another head-coaching opportunity; praised as top-tier defensive coordinator.
    Candidates. Those are proven head coach of the year, double-digit wins, can win a playoff game. I think Robert Salah, Brian Flores, and Brian Dable.
  • Mark Zuckerberg — Person · Analogy reference · 2 mentions · first at
    Used as an analogy for leveraging debt to acquire assets—applied to NFL teams taking short-term pain for long-term QB gain.
    Waves of Justin Herbert can't win a playoff game. So you got to do the Zuckerberg. Take on some debt for a year. Get uncomfortable.
  • Jesse Mentor — Person · Coordinator-level candidate reference · 2 mentions · first at
    Mentioned as top-tier defensive coordinator peer group alongside Brian Flores; also listed as hireable candidate.
    Playoff win. Brian Flores, that thing unraveled, but I think he's arguably the best defensive coordinator with Jesse Mentor in the sport. and Robert Salah could have been the…
  • Jerome Bettis — Person · Upcoming guest tease · 1 mention · first at
    Announced as appearing next hour; provides Steelers-related credibility and continuity.
    Making us part of your day. former Steeler, great tenure, a decade with the Steelers. Jerome Bettis next hour.
  • Albert Breer — Person · Upcoming guest tease · 1 mention · first at
    Announced as appearing at the top of the hour in the coaching-openings segment.
    Albert Brerier. Top of the hour. Nine job openings. Baltimore with Lamar Jackson. Great ownership probably number one. I think in my opinion the New York Giants are number two. Steelers probably.
  • Clint Kubiak — Person · Coordinator-level candidate reference · 1 mention · first at
    Listed as a viable hire in the broader coaching-candidate discussion.
    First. They let him go. They've been a hazmat spill since. And then I think Jesse Miner, Clint Kubak, Jeff Hafley, again, if they were there and they were my best options, I'd…
  • Jeff Hafley — Person · Coordinator-level candidate reference · 1 mention · first at
    Listed among acceptable hires if top options are unavailable, indicating depth of candidate pool.
    First. They let him go. They've been a hazmat spill since. And then I think Jesse Miner, Clint Kubak, Jeff Hafley, again, if they were there and they were my best options, I'd…

Books & papers

  • Gunslinger — Book · Referenced book · 1 mention · first at
    Cited as background reading on Aaron Rodgers early career dynamics (Favre/Packers era).
    Even the years he didn't start. Go read the Jeff Pearlman book, Gunslinger.

Companies & orgs

  • NFL — Company · League context · 3 mentions · first at
    Provides the ecosystem for coaching openings, QB value, roster/cap flexibility, and legacy framing.

Places & events

  • Super Bowl — Event · Legacy and playoff benchmark · 4 mentions · first at
    Used to frame QB legacies (Rodgers, Marino-type narratives) and Purdy’s lone 'loss' reference.

Media & podcasts

  • The Herd — Media · Primary show · 4 mentions · first at
    The program in which the discussion occurs; referenced in intro and recurring segment branding.
    Welcome to the Herds official YouTube channel. Make sure to like and subscribe. Don't forget to check out the Colin Coward podcast, all of our NFL instant reactions, and more football.

Sponsors

  • Hard Rock Bet — Company · Presenting sponsor (ad segment) · 3 mentions · first at
    Sponsor read promoting betting offers tied to the national championship and live in-game betting.
    Championship, you know Hard Rock Stadium is going to be absolutely fire. If you're going to the game, Hard Rock Bet is giving you a $10 bonus bet to get in on the action. You…

Full transcript with timestamps

Welcome to the Herds official YouTube channel. Make sure to like and subscribe. Don't forget to check out the Colin Coward podcast, all of our NFL instant reactions, and more football content. Here we go. Ready to roll. It is a Wednesday. We're live in snowy Chicago. It's the herd. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. former Steeler, great tenure, a decade with the Steelers. Jerome Bettis next hour. So, I was thinking about the Pittsburgh Steelers job opening. Last hour of our show, Mike Tomlin stepped down and there's a lot of things they don't have. A head coach, a quarterback for the future. The defense is old. The defense is expensive. Their money's on the wrong side of the ball. But what the Ravens and the Steelers have that the other seven job openings and seven franchises don't. Ravens and the Steelers don't fire coaches. Harbaugh

got 18 years. Tomlin got 19 years. And so you could go to a Kevin Stfansky in Pittsburgh and say, "Listen, we're going to bottom out. Our scouting department doesn't like Ty Simpson until the third round, second round. You're going to win three games." And Stfansky knows I'm not going to get fired in Pittsburgh. They don't fire coaches. Tomlin in the end walked away. And that's at the core of what the Steelers are really uncomfortable with and they need to get over it. This no losing seasons thing. Being awful got the Patriots Drake May.

Being awful got the Bears Caleb Williams. You know what being mid got the Steelers? Kenny Picket. Folks, the richest people in the world carry debt. to acquire assets. To get wealthy, you got to carry debt. Okay. Mark Zuckerberg has mortgages to a dozen homes. He could own every city block in Silicon Valley. He takes out mortgages. You've got, if you want to get wealthy in the NFL, you got to be able to take a big swing and not worry about having the cleanest books for a year. And my takeaway, you got an old roster, expensive, you don't have a quarterback, you don't have a coach. The one thing and the one box the Steelers check is stability. You're great at stability, but so is Baltimore and they have Lamar Jackson. So, how do you get the best candidate? Because Baltimore's got Lamar. You got nothing.

And the way to do it is you go to a Stfansky and say, "You can be terrible next year. We're not going to fire you. We think next year we can get Arch Manning and win three games. Load your roster up, win three or four games. I think you have to have the conversation in Pittsburgh. And it gets very uncomfortable for people in Pittsburgh of just resetting the franchise, going the opposite of Tomlin. We're going to go a young offensive coach and we're going to bottom out because you know what quicksand is in the NBA and the NFL? The 18th to 20th pick. That's where Pittsburgh always feels like they're at the 20th pick. The only way you want to be at the 20th pick is if you have Josh Allen and you can't get up. Go look at Tomlin's seven quarterbacks. Where's the one where he hoisted trophies, Big Ben, the rest of its guys? Now, Aaron Rogers at 32 wasn't just a guy. He was the guy maybe. But go look at the Tomlin era.

Seven straight seasons. Seven straight seasons. bottom 10 in offensive spending. It's time. You can respect somebody like Mike Tomlin and think it's time to do the opposite of Mike Tomlin. Offensive coach, money all on offense, not old and experienced on defense, young and cheap and aggressive. Because the quarterbacks in the AFC now, Mahomes and Allen and Lamar and Burrow and Herbert and Bo Knicks and Trevor Lawrence and CJ Strad, here they come. Waves of Justin Herbert can't win a playoff game. So you you you got to do the Zuckerberg. Take on some debt for a year. Get uncomfortable.

Trying to salvage next season. You've been doing that for years. Seven straight years. Bottom 10 in offensive spending. I can respect the hell out of Mike Tomlin, but want to do the opposite going forward to Mike Tomlin. I want a very current, very young offensive coach who spends all his money on offense cuz I just feel like year after year after year, this team's not viable. This this team is not a viable franchise. It's not insulting if I buy your house and think your house is charming. I just want to redo it in my style.

And the style Pittsburgh has to acquire with a little debt be awful next year and start over. The athletics Robert May says it may not take very long to look completely different. They have seven picks in the top four rounds this year and five picks in the top 100. Already on offense, they have one of the youngest offensive lines in the league. And on defense, there are a lot of guys that I do not think will be back next year. if you are kind of transitioning to a different version of the team. They are one of the oldest teams in the NFL. I expect them when we wake up in the middle of next season and you look at the ages of these rosters to be one of the youngest teams in the NFL.

Aaron Rodgers now had a good year. I thought he should be called comeback player of the year. I stand by that. It's probably over for him in Pittsburgh. I would guess unless the Vikings call and they talked about it this week, they'd like competition for JJ McCarthy. um Aaron Rogers would take that job and win that job in my opinion. Where do we stand on Aaron Rodgers? Because he may retire. What do we think of him? And the way I look at Aaron Rogers is you can't tell the story of the NFL without Aaron Rodgers. In any profession, we can argue best, worst, mid.

You can't argue mattered. Great talent, little prickly. Unbelievable. first ballot hall of fame. I remember 15 years ago when everybody was treating him like Archbishop Aaron. Everybody in the media worshiped him, even insisting he was better than Brady. And I kept saying bad body language. Sometimes he's a baller, sometimes he's a Baylor. He's passive aggressive. I I don't I I I think he's really really talented. I don't think he's going to end up being close to like a Manning or a Brady in the trophy category. And I stand by that. I said that 15 years ago.

Ah, there's things I don't love. Love his talent, leadership, forgetting a bad interception and moving on. Thought he was a little safe in big games, whatever. But even on draft night, Aaron created drama. In his profession, he mattered. And let's face it, very few quarterbacks, most quarterbacks, in the end, leave it up to interpretation. Montana didn't. four rings. Brady didn't seven rings, but most quarterbacks are closer, the great ones are closer to like uh Marino, man, he was great. I can't believe he didn't win a Super Bowl. Far Rogers, man, they were great. They only won one. Very few quarterbacks. Mahomes has now become one. Brady Montana, they don't leave anything on the cutting room floor. They get every trophy they get close to.

But I I I I look at Aaron as one of those 15 guys all time that you can't write the story of the NFL without that quarterback. It doesn't matter if you have all the hardware like Spielberg or you have less hardware, one Oscar like Scorsese, you can't argue toe-to-toe completely inarguably transformative. And that's how I look at Aaron. the rest of it. Almost all quarterbacks we can debate. Third best, eighth best, ninth best, 16th best. Aaron Mannard, you can't write the story of the league without him. Who cares if he's prickly?

Push back on the media. Whatever. I mean, Brady Mahomes, probably Manning, Montana, the titles they should have won, they won. The years they were great, they hoisted something. Even the other 15 great quarterbacks of all time, it's interpretation. Here's Aaron Monday about his future.

I'm not going to make any emotional decisions. Disappointed. You know, obviously such a fun year.

Play again. Do you want it to be here? I'm not going to talk about that. Eric, how do you approach just what you decide to do next?

Yeah. Just get away and then then have have the right conversations. Listen, um I had said before Pittsburgh I would take the Vikings gig or retired. I think Aaron made the most of it. I think he's a little prickly. Whats? Who cares? In your industry, in your space, do you matter? That's indisputable. That's inarguable. Even the years he didn't start. Go read the Jeff Pearlman book, Gunslinger. in that building. He was poking Brett Favre in the ribs. Draft night drama. He wasn't even a Packer officially yet. Had never dawned a uniform and we were talking about him and that says a lot.

Um Jac Mike Tomlin's walking away. We got nine openings. That is that is so crazy. Now there's a there's a sense there aren't nine good candidates. I'm going to push back on that. We also will present a Super Bowl bubble today. of the eight remaining teams, four in, four out, and the outs, uh, there'll be some dispute on that, but four in, four out, we'll talk about that.

Yeah. Wow. So, so you think maybe there are some good candidates? Because that's a bit of a surprise to me when I hear some of these guys who are interviewing, Colin, like some of these like,

well, just because just because you're interviewing doesn't mean you're a candidate.

It's fair. I mean, you know, these owners aren't going to interview one, two people. They they want to interview eight. And so a lot of times, and this is very clear, the way that it works with agents is a lot of time an agent will get somebody an interview knowing he's not going to be head coaching job, but he wants him to get the interview with the owner to impress him. So if that guy gets fired, so a lot of the people interviewing for jobs are not truly head coaching candidates, but the agents are getting him interviews, so they just, you know, like McVey was rare. His first year of interviewing, he got the Rams job.

Generally, there's a McVey out there. Mike McDonald's another guy. The minute we talked about him as a head coach, he walked into Seattle's building, John Snider's like, "Don't let him leave."

Yeah. The other thing Yeah, you're you're right because as soon as the agent gets you in for an interview, what happens next? Right to the media. Everybody fans it out. Joe Smith interviewed with the Patriots and next thing you know, oh, Joe Smith, he's in high demand. So, you create this artificial market that maybe really isn't there. Um, but I do think Mike McDaniel is soaring up the charts. If I don't know if you're following some of this closely, he's he might be like a top three or four guy on the market right now, Colin. I know you have a a big affinity for Mike McDaniel.

Well, we'll see. Uh he is he is one of the people being talked about. Say it all the time. Insurance companies don't get rich, don't get fat. Today's show brought to you by presenting sponsor Hard Rock Bet. Now, with Miami making the national championship, you know Hard Rock Stadium is going to be absolutely fire. If you're going to the game, Hard Rock Bet is giving you a $10 bonus bet to get in on the action. You can turn that free $10 bonus bet into a big win placing a same game parlay. Or even if you're just watching the game at home, there's still no better place to bet than Natty than Hard Rock Bet because it's Florida Sports Book. So, they're going crazy with promos for this one. And if you're late to kickoff, don't worry. The Hard Rock Bet has live in-game betting so you're never too late to the action.

Find a winner, live bet between snaps, and a few easy taps. If you haven't tried your first bet on Hard Rock Bet, there's time for you and get 150 bucks in bonus bets. If you win, just place a $5 bet. If it hits, you not only get your winnings, but also an extra 150 bucks in bonus bets. Even if your team may be out of the playoffs, doesn't mean you have to sit on the sidelines. Same game parlays, live betting, can't miss, welcome offer, new promos every day. Hard Rock Bet has you covered all playoffs long. That's Hard Rock Bet.

Download the Hard Rock Bet app. Make your first deposit today. Albert Brerier. Top of the hour. Nine job openings. Baltimore with Lamar Jackson. Great ownership probably number one. I think in my opinion the New York Giants are number two. Steelers probably three. Atlanta four. Somebody's going to get Fernando Mendoza Raiders. That's pretty good. Um here's the thing with Mike Tomlin. He's an incredibly prideful guy. Once those fire Tomlin chants came down from the rafters, he's probably done. He made up his mind. People make up their mind long before they do things. I think he made up his mind several weeks ago. Um I think he could do television and be great. He's certainly great at the podium. He's the best I've ever heard. Everything's a 9second soundbite. He'd be great. But he's not a TV guy. He He reminds me of Mike Vrabel. Vrabel could do TV.

He's not a TV guy. It's like It's like I always said, Park City's of you I It's in Utah. It's not really of Utah. It's a party town. Austin, Texas. It's in Texas. It's not of Texas. It's way left. Mike Tomlin could do TV and so could Vrabel. They're not of TV. It's not their thing. Sean Payton, I worked with him for a year at Fox. He was going back to coaching. So, there's a lot of times I've been critical of Tomlin, but leadership, IQ EQ motivator culture creator. He's great. He's great. I think he needs to modernize a little bit. I I would I would give you this as an example. You know, Tomlin's got an iPhone like the rest of us, and it it it keeps asking him to install now the new software, and he's for the last seven years pushed, remind me later. It's time to install now. Take a year off, modernize reflect.

His coaching tree is a cactus. He doesn't have anybody. Since Bruce Arens, he's had four OC's. None have done anything. Dude, go to a mixer, wear a name tag, meet some offensive young coaches, modernize, stay current, leadership smarts toughness alpha culture creator, and on TV for a year. All great, but he does feel like he's got to push install now, not remind me later on offense. I I really think he needs to modernize. Robert May of the Athletic talked about this yesterday. If I'm Mike Tomlin, I want to take a step back and for a year just visit with people around the league, talk to people. Who should I be seeking out?

What should my offense look like? Who are the people that I should build my staff with? Just take yourself out of that small kind of insulated world when you're the head coach and your head is down all the time. And just think about how you need to build things moving forward for you to be successful. Because I think if he surrounds himself with the right ideas, he is such a good coach and a good motivator that that overall construction and that overall model that would be appealing to me if I were an owner trying to fill one of these jobs. Like Nick Sabin was a defensive coach, but he hired I mean Jim Mane, Doug Nusmeer, Lane Kein, Sarkc I mean he was really good at finding offensive coaches. Really good. Not all defensive guy. Now Bellichic had to keep going back to Josh McDaniels. The minute he was left to his own devices, he moved Matt Patricia to an OC. Okay. So Tomlin may be one of those defensive guys like

Vrabel. Vrabel's got Josh McDaniel. He gets it. Some of these defensive guys are really good finding offensive guys. Some of the old school guys are not. So, I I don't know what Tomlin is, but I feel like a year, reflect, do TV, make some money, have some fun. He He would be I mean, I'm not going to give away any inside stuff that I am aware of currently, but Tomlin's going to get jobs, multiple. I think you put him in a studio, I think it'd be a home run. I think it'd be just major energy. I mean, I honestly am rooting for him to go to Fox because I think it'd be a great watch. And that way if he goes to Fox, which has more NFC games than AFC games, he may not have to criticize contemporaries he coached against a lot.

He can go over and talk about the Niners and the Eagles and the Rams who he didn't have to face as much. He didn't want to be critical of the guys on his side of the ledger. But I I'm selfishly I would love if he was a Fox guy. I think he's going to be so good. But he feels very much like Vrabel to me. could do TV but not a TV guy is that's not his DNA. He he has referred to television as the dark side uh a couple times in his career. Jmack with the news.

NO NO TURN ON THE NEWS. THIS is the herd line news. All right Colin I got a surprise for you to start Herdline and that is when Brock Pury a big game from Perie on Sunday against the Eagles. Another fourth quarter comeback in the playoffs for Brock Pretty Colin. Wouldn't you know it, he is now 5 and one in his career in the playoffs.

Yes, Colin. That's more wins than Lamar Jackson and Cam Newton in the postseason. I know Cam Newton's not going to take that well. Also, his five wins tied Jared Goff, Rivers, and Burrow.

Yeah. Um he's third all time, sorry, in 49ers uh playoff history in terms of wins. Go ahead. The one thing I'll say about Pertie, whereas Lamar Jackson, there are times he visually looks tight in the playoffs, I feel like Brock Pury, week two, Brock Pury, week 11, Brock Pury playoffs, I get the same guy. He's not affected by the scenario. Like I always feel with Brock Pury, he's always been a guy that's going to let it rip. He's going to have some ugly picks. Uh they all stick to Darnold. They don't stick to Pertie because Pertie's had more playoff success. But Brock will let it rip. He's not a guy. One of my favorite qualities, in fact, my favorite quality, I've told this story about Andrew Luck when he was at Stanford. I went to the Coliseum. I'm sitting there, pretty good seats, USC's in a shootout with Andrew Luck in Stanford. And and Luck is unbelievable. And then he throws a pick six. It is an awful pick six to get the

Trojans back into it. I remember that. And he smiles. He puts his hand on his helmet. He's like, "Oh, stupid." Goes out. He's slinging the ball down the field. A huge part of Brock Periey's success is he's not affected. I never watch Pertie and think, "Oh, he's tight. He just, you know, it could be good parenting. It could be confidence. Whatever it is, the kid likes to let it rip." That's one of the Darnold quotes. Darnold's always like, "Hey, man. You do your prep, you let it rip." And that's what I totally respect about Brock.

So, it's interesting. A lot of people are going to say, "Well, wait a sec. Uh, Jay, you're forgetting Brock had a second loss against the Eagles. That's not technically a loss. Remember, he got injured with the shoulder in the first quarter. That that doesn't count as a loss on your ledger. The one loss is the Super Bowl.

Yeah. And he didn't lose that. He drove them down the field in overtime for points.

I mean, I at some point we got to start giving Brock Purie his flowers. I know everybody loves Dak Prescott and Dak is a top five Titan quarterback.

I think I think Prescott got two playoff wins. He hasn't done much. Brock Pury is consistently praised. You're you're sensitive to it. Brock Pury is considered exactly where he should be considered. A gamer that gets banged up. He's not a Josh Allen talent. No, but he's going to win playoff games. I I think he is appropriately discussed. I don't think everybody's thinks he's way up here, but everybody like if you told me him or Jaylen Herz, I would take Brock Pury. He's better from the pocket.

Oh, okay. Yeah. In terms of pocket passer with mobility, put a good player. Okay. Can I ask you a couple more cuz you like this game. Brock Purdy or Jordan Love?

Jordan Love is a bigger, stronger quarterback. Both get hurt more than I'd like, but I I think he's a bigger, taller guy with a little better arm. I think they're both talented, but I, you know, I like traits. I'm loyal to size. I'm loyal to arm. I'm loyal to mobility. I would take love over Brock Pury.

Brock Pury or Bo Knicks? Bo Nicks doesn't get hurt like ever. Like ever. He's on a very team-friendly deal for the next several years and he's a tremendous fourth quarter quarterback

and because I have to do it Jared Goff or Brock Birdie. Jared Goff is a better pocket quarterback

and again doesn't get Jaredly Jared Goff doesn't get hurt. I mean Bonix and Jared Goff both guys from the Pack 12 that got you know tossed around lot of starts every Sunday they're ready to play. Now listen, I don't expect him to go to Seattle and win the line's up to seven and a half um in some places. Seven where we have um Colin, if he does pull this off as a big underdog.

Oh, uh Monday is going to be fun. Yeah, just filing that one away. All right, let's move to the Rams. They are out here in warm Southern California. It was 78 degrees yesterday, Colin. Going to be 79 today. It's lovely, but they're playing in frigid temps Sunday in Chicago. They're calling for a high of 21 with a low of eight. Colin, 8 degrees. That's insanity. Matt Stafford, he says he don't care about no elements.

As far as the wind goes, you're right. It is always windy in Chicago. I played, you know, a handful of games there throughout the years. The good thing for us is it was windy this past week in Carolina. when it goes to cold weather, uh we played the Jets last year and what was I think it was like 12 degrees um you know at kickoff and you just adjust to whatever the game uh you know whatever the weather allows you to do and I think if it's just cold with a little bit of wind we go play you know I love that kind of stuff I mean that's that's playoff football right cold weather in Chicago windy day uh there's nothing better than that in my mind so I'm excited for it

yeah I I that's right that there's never been a warm weather dynasty If you can't if you can't handle 27 degrees, you're not built for this stuff. I mean, I Caleb Williams in the fourth quarter. Caleb played at USC Oklahoma. He looked fine to me in the fourth quarter. If you've got a strong arm, the issue with cold weather is arm strength. Tua struggles in wind. Stafford doesn't. Caleb doesn't. Some would argue Lamar's got an average arm. You know who doesn't? Josh Allen, Momes. So, if your arm is strong, bad weather. Brady. I thought Brady was the best cold weather crappy weather thrower I've ever seen because of his hip torque. Brady was an un and Did Brady have the biggest arm in the league? No. He was a great cold weather quarterback.

Yeah, a lot of cold weather guys on the Rams. I mean, Stafford played for years in that division. Outdoor games in Green Bay, Chicago. Um Devonte Adams played for years in Green Bay. Kairen Williams went to Notre Dame playing in the Midwest. I I don't I think the cold is a little bit of an overblown narrative here. And Colin, I haven't officially fired on this game, but I I think I'm on the Rams here. Uh I know the Bears have lived a charm life, but the more you look at the numbers,

I'm the same. I'm the same. I I think I really when you lose Edwards, the linebacker,

that that really makes it because, by the way, that linebacker with those Ram tight ends and that Ram run game, you can live with a backup left tackle. Again, if you speed up getting rid of the ball to your tight ends, you can speed things up. But I I I see the Bears defense having a lot of trouble stopping Ram drives. I think the Rams, even if they don't score, are going to get field goals and are going to going to win field possession for a big chunk of this game. And that's why I like the Rams.

Yeah, total agreement. Uh Colin, let's go. Final story. One of your favorites, uh Shawn Payeyton. He was fun when he was uh working here, man. He that guy has stories for days. Well, he's he's got a Super Bowl team on his hands right now. They're preparing uh for the game against Josh Allen. Uh obviously Denver had the buy and Sean says he wants to see his offense be more aggressive when it needs to be.

Do I think he needs to be more aggressive going down to the field going downfield in the playoffs? A lot of that would be based on who we're playing. We want to be aggressive. We obviously want to, you know, and and we will take our shots, but a lot of it like tell me the opponent and then then it's like, all right, um, how's that going to be done? You know, are they an eyes in team or are they a man team? We'll definitely stretch the ball down the field. We feel like we've got some guys that can go down and get it.

Yeah, if you play Houston, you can't be as aggressive because of their pass rush. If you play the Bills, you can be more aggressive. They don't have the pass rush. So again, it it's dictated on your game plan is largely dictated on who are you playing. If you have a the Bears have a backup left tackle, they're going to want Caleb Williams to get rid of the ball quickly. Now, I guarantee you that's part of Ben Johnson's game plan. We're we're not sitting back in the pocket. They've got they've got Young and Verse coming on the edges.

They got Kobe Turner, Puna Ford in the middle, and oh, by the way, we're missing our left tackle. Like, you can tell what you're going to do going into it. Chicago. Not I don't think it's going to be one of those deep ball games. You're going to want to get that thing out. Two and a half, three seconds, get it out of Caleb's hands cuz I do think pass protection for the Bears could be challenged.

Yeah, I do wonder this Bills defense was kind of sort of solid against Trevor Lawrence. Like Trevor Lawrence was good. Tradavius White with a crazy turn back the clock game. It's like where' that guy come from? I just don't know if Buffalo can duplicate that in back-to-back weeks. And I do think the rest is probably underrated. Right. You got a whole week off. I know the rest versus rust, but I think Denver's going to be ready. I I I I don't know, Colin. I I'll wait for your blazing four on Friday on this one.

All right, buddy. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The herd lie news. It It is It is crazy that there's nine job openings. The average has been like six or seven it seems like forever. So you start asking yourself, are there are there nine good candidates? I think it's a better candidate year suddenly than people think it is. So let's talk about very good candidates, people that win double-digit games and have proven this time and time again. I think there are four candidates that I would put in the good candidate if they want to coach list and I think we can put it up on the screen. I think John Harbaugh, Kevin Stfansky, Mike Tomlin, and Mike McCarthy, those are very good candidates. Those are proven head coach of the year, double-digit wins, can win a playoff game. I think Robert Salah, Brian Flores, and Brian Dable.

Absolutely. I would be comfortable giving them a second chance. I think, you know, Dable got Daniel Jones a playoff win. Brian Flores, that thing unraveled, but I think he's arguably the best defensive coordinator with Jesse Mentor in the sport. and Robert Salah could have been the assistant of the year. And the minute the Jets fired him, they from that minute on have circled the toilet. They were at least viable. They were going to go to Buffalo. If they won, they were going to be tied for first. They let him go. They've been a hazmat spill since. And then I think Jesse Miner, Clint Kubak, Jeff Hafley, again, if they were there and they were my best options, I'd have no problem hiring them. My takeaway is there's two candidates out there. Cliff Kingsbury is one of them. I don't think he's a head coach personality. I don't think he is comfortable with conflict. I I think in college and pro football, as teams get

loose, players have a bit too much control. And I think you got to be a front and center guy and be willing to deal with conflict. and conflict resolution. And I don't think that's Cliff's personality. I think he's a great OC. A prime example. Why is he leaving Washington? He's got a conflict with Adam Peters and he want to deal with it. So I was like, I'm out of here. Once again, that's who he is. That's fine. Mike McDaniel, Miami. I don't think he's a head coach. I think he's a brilliant coach, but I think he's a VP, not a not a president. I I think he's a VP. So again, I think those are I think those are very that's that's nine guys I would hire and two guys I'd hire in a second to be coordinator. The key in this is being decisive because if if the New York Giants Giants sit on their hands and are the fifth team to hire a coach, not only do you get the fifth best coach, it's breadcrumbs on the

staff. If I was the New York Giants, I'd make a move now. Whether it's Stfansky or Harbaugh, I would make a move now because you're also going to have a better opportunity to get a McDaniel or a Cliff Kingsbury as a coordinator. So, you've got to be decisive. Here's Steve Bashadi Ravens owner on their head coach opening. where we are. Uh, I could say I'm disqualifying coaches with losing records, but I think you have to remember that they were the hottest coaches in that in their cycle and they got jobs and they got tough jobs and I don't think we have a tough job. We created the best opening in this cycle. And and so that was the one category that I didn't want to ignore because the first thing you all are going to say is my god, he went 38 and 48 in his last job and they're hiring him.

Yeah, I think I think that's fair. Um because I do think if you're the guy, you'll have a winning record. The greatest example is Shawn Payeyton. He inherited a team and Russell Wilson didn't fit his offense and they're still this year paying off the Russell Wilson dead cap and he's made the playoffs backto-back year with a quarterback most of you don't like. Okay, so I I don't want to hear but you can figure it out. There's no excuses. There really isn't. This is why I tend to lean offensive guy over defensive guy, but it should be noted of the four uh eight remaining coaches, four offense, four defense.

So, Baltimore is the best job. I would argue number two is the Giants. That That's what I would argue in a perfect world. If I was a Giants, I'd offer it to John Harbaugh today. If I was Baltimore, if he doesn't want a losing record, that hurts Kevin Stfansky. Um, I I think you have to contextualize Kevin Stfansky's career. He coached for Cleveland. In my opinion, I you have to qualify certain things. Not many things, but certain things. In Chicago, it's the herd.

I mean, what a division. Rams, ners, Seahawks. You talk about a power group out west. Um, so Art Rooney uh spoke this morning on Mike Tomlin after 19 years stepping away. And that the presumption is, and I think it's a reasonable presumption, is you know, Tomlin, if you're in a job for 19 years and you're on that treadmill, I think it's great to just take a step back and reflect. Uh here's Rooney on Mike's plans going forward.

Mike indicated that he did not anticipate coaching uh at least you know in the near future. I think he wants to spend time with his family and do some of the kinds of things he hasn't been able to do for the last you know many many years. And so uh you know if if something like that comes up we'll we'll deal with it when it comes up. But right now uh that doesn't seem to be on his radar. You know, one of the things that's really great about the NFL, and the Patriots are a great example. Denver is a great example, you get the coach and the quarterback right, you can just go from dog house to penthouse fast. And that's not the way it is in the NBA.

I've never understood this. The NBA makes it hard to trade. It's like, well, yeah, the salaries have to come within and you got all these aprons now. It's like hard to make trades. So if you're and the downside of that the NBA is so paralyzed about dynasties your ratings are better with dynasties. Stop worrying about it. I mean the the KD Steph Clay Draymond team was fascinating. The Heels were fascinating. Seven champs in seven years isn't fascinating but the NBA makes it hard to trade. Football's like trade whoever you want.

Also in the NFL you can cut whoever you want. You may have to eat some salary, but you can also rework contracts constantly. You know, it to me I you could do two things. I would bottom out and go get an offensive guy. Or I could also say, well, we've got a first, a second, three threes and two fours. Give up a third and a fourth, couple sixes the following year. Give up a bunch of picks and get to like eighth in the draft and go get Ty Simpson. If it works, great. If it doesn't, go draft another quarterback. The Steelers have three third round picks and two fours.

So you can keep a third and a fourth and move off two/3s and a fourth and move up and get Simpson. Give up give up good picks. Try it. He is viewed, I'm told, as a late first round quarterback. But so what? That's the one position it's okay. You can overdraft the guy. Don't overdraft by a round. But if you overdraft by nine to 11 spots to get your quarterback, it's fine. And if it works, great. If it doesn't, move him and get the guy the following year in a better quarterback draft. There's a lot of options here for Pittsburgh. Like a lot of good options. And uh or you could just say, "Listen, Kevin Stfansky, we don't care. Don't we know you've been losing a lot. We don't fire coaches here. You got a first, a second, three threes, two fours. We're going to stack the roster. We're going to move the old guys on defense. We're going to give you a young, twitchy, athletic, inexpensive defense. And the following year, we're

not going to be very good this year. Following year, you can pick the quarterback. That's very attractive. But doing doing the mid stuff, again, you got to get terrible at least for a year to get Drake May and Caleb Williams. If you're drafting 20th, you get Kenny Picket. Like you say, well, what about Lamar? Not a lot of late first round Lamar Jacksons and even when he came out there, you know, you trust the Ravens because the Ravens have drafted so well for so long, especially on their early picks.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Aaron Rodgers RETIRING? Mike Tomlin’s NEXT MOVE, Pittsburgh Steelers | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD NFL"?

Robert May (Guest), Jay Mack (Guest), Colin Cowherd (Host), Jerome Bettis (Guest), Albert Breer (Guest).

What is "Aaron Rodgers RETIRING? Mike Tomlin’s NEXT MOVE, Pittsburgh Steelers | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD NFL" about?

The discussion centers on the future of the Pittsburgh Steelers following Mike Tomlin's resignation, highlighting the team's need for a new head coach and quarterback amid an aging and costly defense. It emphasizes the importance of embracing a strategy that allows for rebuilding through drafting and taking calculated risks, contrasting this with the Steelers' historical aversion to losing…

What is mentioned in this The Herd with Colin Cowherd episode?

23 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Mike Tomlin, Colin Cowherd, The Herd, NFL, Aaron Rodgers, Kevin Stefanski. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Aaron Rodgers RETIRING? Mike Tomlin’s NEXT MOVE, Pittsburgh Steelers | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD NFL"?

The episode runs 36 min; the transcript is about 6,526 words in 66 timestamped sections.

More from The Herd with Colin Cowherd

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated January 24, 2026.