Adam Schefter caused a stir in the Pittsburgh sports world on Sunday when he went through a list of head coaches who are either safe, or not, in their current jobs and he briefly mentioned Mike Tomlin being traded as a remote possibility. He went one step further Monday and said there was a team that inquired about Tomlin, learning of a no-trade clause in contract.
Schefter appeared on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike this morning and spoke more about the idea of Tomlin being traded.
“To be very clear, Pittsburgh is not looking to trade Mike Tomlin. I don’t believe Mike Tomlin is looking to be traded,” Schefter said. “They’re gonna play in the playoffs this weekend; we’ll see what happens. Maybe the Steelers advance, maybe they don’t. And I would fully expect Mike Tomlin’s back in Pittsburgh. That’s what I fully expect.”
Last offseason was a much more interesting story when it came to Tomlin’s future with the team. Rumors were swirling all over the media landscape of the team wanting to move on or Tomlin wanting to take a break. Ultimately, those were put to rest in Tomlin’s first press conference following the season, and he ended up signing a three-year extension.
“But I also know that there are other teams that thought the same, ‘Well, maybe we should check in with Pittsburgh and see what happens there, see if there’s any interest,'” Schefter said. “At some point in time, there’s gonna be a year where Mike Tomlin may not want to be back, or the Pittsburgh Steelers might not want him back.”
Black Monday was yesterday, and a few head coaching jobs became available. There were also a few that became available during the season. Several organizations are doing their due diligence on every possibility to secure their next head coach.
Heck, even a current head coach was requested for an interview, the Chicago Bears putting in a request for Dallas Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy. Teams clearly aren’t limiting their searches to just the immediately available pool of candidates. So it is interesting to hear Schefter say he knows of other teams that “thought the same” as the team that actually reached out to the Steelers.
“Mike Tomlin’s a dynamic personality who I think is appreciated more outside Pittsburgh than he is in Pittsburgh,” Schefter said. “In the Steelers organization, they appreciate him, but the city itself, you see the reaction when they lose playoff games and the commentary.”
Head coach trades almost never happen. The last two that occurred involved two head coaches who were retired but still had their rights held by their previous teams. The last actual trade was nearly 20 years ago in 2006. Unless a king’s ransom is offered for Tomlin, and it is a destination he is amenable to because of the no-trade clause, it’s not going to happen.
I do think Schefter made an interesting point about Tomlin being more appreciated outside the city than in it. The Rooney family very clearly appreciates him, but they also spoke of a growing level of impatience. It wouldn’t be the first time in league history that a team moved on from a respected and appreciated head coach. Maybe this is a conversation to be had one of these years, but there doesn’t appear to be enough smoke this time around for any movement on the trade front.
