Rumors have swirled in the last 13 months about other NFL teams potentially interested in acquiring Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin through a trade. ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed one of those possible suitors on January 18.
Schefter reported the Chicago Bears called the Steelers to inquire about Tomlin. But the Steelers were not interested.
“The Bears recently called the Steelers to see if they would be allowed to talk to and potentially try to trade for longtime head coach Mike Tomlin, only to have Pittsburgh rebuff their inquiry, league sources told ESPN,” wrote Schefter.
“Discussions never made it to Tomlin, nor is it likely they would they have been successful even if they did.”
On January 12, Schefter said a team “checked into the idea” to trade for Tomlin but learned Tomlin has a no-trade clause in his contract. Tomlin signed a 3-year contract extension in June.
On January 18, Schefter indicated that wasn’t the Bears. So, two teams have pursued trading for Tomlin this offseason.
Schefter wrote that the second team, which has remained anonymous, “quickly halted its efforts and moved on” to other coaching candidates upon learning about Tomlin’s no-trade clause.
Other than the Bears, the Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets have head coach openings this offseason. The New England Patriots did as well but hired Mike Vrabel on January 13.
Steelers’ Mike Tomlin Indicates No Interest in Trade
It’s rather clear the Steelers aren’t interested in moving on from Tomlin despite the coach’s six-game playoff losing streak. But even if they were, Tomlin must accept any trade to a new team because of his no-trade clause.
The head coach all but said he doesn’t want to coach for another team.
“Save your time,” said Tomlin on January 14 when asked about his message to other teams pursuing a trade.
Tomlin has famously never suffered a losing season in 18 seasons with the Steelers. He also has 183 regular season victories, which is only 10 shy of Chuck Noll’s franchise record.
But Noll went 16-8 in the postseason and won four Super Bowls. Bill Cowher won his last four postseason games to improve to 12-9 in the playoffs. Cowher also capped off his Steelers coaching career with a Super Bowl title.
Tomlin won the Super Bowl during his second season. But he is 8-12 in the playoffs overall. He’s suffered six consecutive postseason losses dating back to January 2017.
Tomlin’s New Contract Value
The Steelers haven’t fired a head coach in more than 50 years. While the franchise has experienced a lot of success, they’ve also gone through some lean years where they remained loyal to their head coach.
Schefter pointed to that fact as a reason they are staying with Tomlin this offseason. But his new contract could be an even bigger reason.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac said while appearing on The Rich Eisen Show that Tomlin’s three-year extension is worth more than $16 million per season.
“Look, they gave him a three-year, $50 million extension in June, and they’re not just gonna walk away from that,” said Dulac.
According to Sportico, Andy Reid and Sean Payton are the only NFL head coaches paid more per season.
Tomlin’s extension won’t expire until the 2027 season.
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Steelers Shut Down NFC Foe Interested in Mike Tomlin Trade: Report