ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier this offseason that teams had inquired about trading for Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, only to be informed the Steelers’ head coach had a no-trade clause in his contract. We now know that at least one team expressed interest in acquiring Tomlin, as Schefter reported on Saturday morning that the Chicago Bears inquired about trading for Tomlin, but the Steelers rebuffed them.
Schefter also reported at least one other team tried trading for Pittsburgh’s head coach.
“At least one other team besides the Bears checked into the idea that it could somehow try to trade for Tomlin, only to be informed that the Steelers coach has a no-trade clause in his contract, according to a league source. The inquiring team quickly halted its efforts and moved on, according to sources.”
He said the Steelers have no interest in trading Tomlin, and Tomlin doesn’t seem interested in leaving, as he told teams inquiring about trading for him to “save your time” when they inquired about his potential availability.
Schefter said the discussions about trading Tomlin never reached him, which isn’t a surprise given that Pittsburgh has made no indications that it wants to move on from their head coach, who signed a three-year extension reportedly worth $50 million last offseason that will keep him in Pittsburgh through 2027.
After the eighth straight season without a playoff win, there’s been discussion about Tomlin’s future in the local and national media and among the fanbase, but the Steelers don’t seem inclined to make a move. Chicago completed an interview with Steelers OC Arthur Smith earlier this week, but NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that Smith isn’t a favorite to land in Chicago.
Schefter said some believe Chicago deserves credit for making the call and knowing the “type of leader” that Tomlin is. Despite having a young quarterback in Caleb Williams to develop, they were interested in Tomlin despite not having much of an offensive coaching background.
While Mike Tomlin is remaining in Pittsburgh after a five-game losing streak to end the season and a fifth-straight one-and-done playoff exit, there could be other staff changes. But Tomlin won’t be traded to the Bears or anyone, and the Steelers will look to him to try and figure out a way to bring the Steelers back to being the organization that competes for Super Bowls on a yearly basis.
