The worst a team can say is no. And that’s exactly what the Pittsburgh Steelers said to the Chicago Bears when they came calling about Mike Tomlin’s availability. No debate, no discussion, a “thanks but no thanks” from Art Rooney II when the Bears reportedly inquired about trading for Tomlin.
That’s how the national and local media view the situation. Appearing on the Pat McAfee Show Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter – who provided the initial report Saturday – indicated the conversation quickly went nowhere for Chicago.
“He’s staying,” Schefter told the show. “He’s not going anywhere. The Bears got shut down.”
Locally, beat writer Gerry Dulac agrees the conversation was brief.
“I think this was an example of the Bears’ owner, not the GMs calling. ‘Cause that didn’t happen. There’s no official trade request,” Dulac said on 102.5 WDVE with Randy Baumann Monday morning.
While details from Schefter’s report are light, simply noting the Bears made a call to the Steelers about Tomlin, Dulac’s point about this being owner-to-owner is likely correct. It’s hard to backchannel a way into a conversation about trading for the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach. And it’s not something anyone but ownership and Tomlin – who carries a no-trade clause – can decide on.
Despite rumors and speculation, Tomlin was never going to go anywhere. He certainly wasn’t going to be fired after signing a $50 million extension that made him one of the highest-paid coaches in American sports. And trading is so unusual and complicated that it’s rarely done in sports, especially with coaches actively involved with their team. The last such example in the NFL came with Herm Edwards in 2006.
“I think this was a case where maybe the Bears’ owner calls Art Rooney and says, ‘Hey Art, would you ever think a trading….hello? Hello?’ And that was about the extent of the Bears inquiring about the trade for Mike Tomlin.”
In other words, a quick decline on the Steelers’ part. That would be the team’s most logical idea because even entertaining the idea or prolonging the conversation could stoke the flames about a Tomlin trade, creating an unnecessary distraction to begin the offseason.
Chicago will look elsewhere for their head coach. Perhaps it will be Pittsburgh native Mike McCarthy or Detroit Lions’ OC Ben Johnson. It sure won’t be Mike Tomlin.
“It was kind of like, ‘That ain’t happening.’ That’s the end of that conversation.”
The end of a conversation but not the end of the rumors. If Bill Belichick is still receiving media buzz of leaping to the NFL despite no interview requests, then the media will continue poking around Tomlin’s name until all six remaining head coaching jobs are filled.
