The Miami Dolphins are looking for the newest head coach of their franchise, having seen off former four-year HC, Mike McDaniel, earlier this month.
The current bookmakers’ favorite in the race for the position is none other than Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator, Jeff Hafley, who many see as a natural fit for the franchise after the Dolphins hired former Packers‘ Vice President of Player Personnel, Jon-Eric Sullivan, to be the team’s new general manager, replacing Chris Grier who was fired back in March.
Yet, it seemed that Miami may have a different name in mind to lead the franchise, according to NFL insider, Josina Anderson, who claims that the Dolphins attempted to trade for ex-Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin.
Dolphins Inquired About Trading For Mike Tomlin
“Of course teams reached out to Mike Tomlin/Camp yesterday, as seen reported today & as indicated yesterday. The team referred to in the tweet below Tuesday, was the Miami Dolphins, per league source.” Anderson reported on Wednesday.
Given that Tomlin resigned from the position, rather than being fired, the Steelers will be owed compensation if another teams to hire him as their next head coach.
However, it seems that Tomlin is not necessarily a lock to jump straight back into head coaching right away, according to comments he made to Steelers owner, Art Rooney II, upon his departure from the franchise after nearly two decades with the organization.
“Additionally, Rooney shared Tomlin expressed to him now that he’d like to take more respite, for the near future—which given coach stepping away, naturally makes sense & feels respectful towards the organization that gave him such a big opportunity & to which he gave so many years of his life.” Anderson continued.
What Would The Dolphins Be Willing To Trade For Tomlin?
At this point in time, Miami has completed interviews for the head coach role with Hafley, former Cleveland Browns head coach, Kevin Stefanski, and Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak.
Tomlin – if he became a legitimate possibility – would jump to the top of that list almost immediately. For the Dolphins, bringing in one of the toughest, grittiest head coaches to change the culture of a warm-weather team considered to be one of the softest in the NFL – certainly for the duration of McDaniel’s tenure – would be a huge coup.
But the question could well come down to what the Dolphins are willing to give up for that kind of top-tier head coach.
Tomlin is still pretty young by veteran coaching standards, having been hired to be the 16th head coach in the history of the Steelers a couple of months prior to his 35th birthday. And now at 53, one would imagine there is still much left in the tank – if he wants to continue in the same role in the NFL.
The Denver Broncos paid a first and second round pick for Payton, when they bought him on as their next head coach, giving back a third rounder in return. And the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave up two firsts, two seconds and $8 million in cash for Jon Gruden back in 2002 – with Gruden delivering a Super Bowl to the organization in his very first year.
The price tag will likely be less than that of Payton, given Tomlin’s difficulty in establishing the offense in Pittsburgh over the past few years, in addition to the general adage that offensive-minded head coaches tend to be more in-demand and valuable (rightly or wrongly) across the league than their defensive counterparts.
The Dolphins will no doubt make their decision in the coming days.
Dolphins Tried To Trade For Super Bowl-Winning Coach – Report