Rumors suggesting the Pittsburgh Steelers could move on from head coach Mike Tomlin this offseason surfaced before Pittsburgh suffered a 28-14 wild-card playoff loss to the rival Baltimore Ravens this past Saturday.
The Steelers reportedly "are not planning to make any move involving" Tomlin, but some continue to wonder if Pittsburgh could at least accept calls from other clubs regarding his services following the team's latest one-and-done postseason showing.
"I don’t think the Tomlin trade happens yet, but at some point, it might," an unnamed executive from a different team told The Athletic's Mike Sando. "Everybody will disappear for a few days, but then somebody is going to ask about staff changes, and if Tomlin bows up, that is when there could be problems."
Tomlin is a one-time Super Bowl champion head coach who famously has never had a losing season since he accepted the job in 2007. However, the Steelers haven't won a playoff game under Tomlin since the 2016 campaign, and the club hasn't yet found a long-term replacement for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger following his retirement in January 2022.
"They play a risk-averse brand, and they let the defense do it for them," one coach from another team told Sando about Tomlin's Steelers. "What does that get you? Playoff entrance and a first-round loss. Then you criticize Tomlin and say he’s holding them back. But that’s how it is with every other team that drafts a quarterback in the first round that does not pan out."
The Steelers made signal-caller Kenny Pickett a first-round draft choice in the spring of 2022 but then traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles last March after he largely failed to impress across his first two pro seasons.
Meanwhile, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk mentioned Sunday night that the "not planning" phrase used by Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "could be a subtle invitation to" teams such as the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears to ask about the 52-year-old's availability. Specifically, the Bears seemingly are willing to part ways with draft picks to land a coach currently attached to another team.
As Florio pointed out, Tomlin could refuse such a trade and essentially force the Steelers to make him a free agent. For now, it looks like he'll stay put as the club once again searches for an answer at the quarterback position.
