In order to predict the long-term stability of deep-buried tunnels in rheological rock masses and to analyze the evolution law of contact pressure between the lining structure and the surrounding rock under time-dependent effects, an analytical study on the surrounding rock-lining contact pressure of rheological rock mass tunnel was conducted. Based on complex function theory, a generalized H-K model was introduced to describe the rheological behavior of the surrounding rock. The relationships between stress and displacement of the surrounding rock and the lining under different construction stages were established. The Laplace transform was employed to convert the differential equations into algebraic equations for solving the boundary conditions, and an analytical solution for the time-dependent contact pressure between the surrounding rock and the lining was derived. Combined with geological parameters of a tunnel, the analytical calculation was carried out and compared with field monitoring results. The results indicate that the analytical results show a generally consistent evolutionary trend with the field monitoring data. The response time and magnitude of contact pressure have a significant correlation with the monitoring location. For the arch shoulder, the contact pressure responds the earliest and tends to stabilize at approximately 0.58 MPa about 60 days after the completion of tunnel excavation. At the arch waist and arch foot, the contact pressure increases rapidly at the initial stage and then grows gently, showing a trend of stabilization. The analytical solutions predict that the ultimate contact pressures at the arch waist and arch foot converge to approximately 0.33 MPa and 0.18 MPa, respectively. The findings of this study provide theoretical basis for the design of tunnel linings and the prediction of long-term mechanical responses in rheological rock tunnels.