Mike Tomlin’s Steelers future ‘murky’ as trade chatter percolates
Two NFL insiders have broached the idea of a Mike Tomlin trade across the last 24 hours.
Tomlin has been the coach of the Steelers for 17 years, but the team is 7-7, having lost three straight games — against the Cardinals, Patriots and Colts — and it appears at least possible that his tenure is reaching the end of the road.
The chatter began on Friday when Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer appeared on “The Herd” on FS1.
“I don’t think he’s getting fired. Let’s start there. I don’t think that will happen,” Breer said.
“I do see a path, though, to a place where he’s not the coach next year.”
Breer mentioned that Panthers owner David Tepper and Commanders owner Josh Harris were previously minority owners in the Steelers organization.
The Panthers already fired Frank Reich while Commanders head coach Ron Rivera is widely presumed to be on the hot seat.
“Both Harris and Tepper have relationships with [Steelers owner] Art Rooney. They’ve both seen Mike Tomlin from the inside. And they both could very easily pick up the phone and say to Art Rooney, ‘What would it take to get Mike Tomlin out of there?’” Breer continued.
“Additionally, for Mike Tomlin personally, both those places are geographically close to where he’s from. He grew up in the tidewater area of Virginia. So, I think Art Rooney would owe it to Mike Tomlin if those teams called to go to him and ask what he wants to do, and maybe that’s the circumstance where they both decide, ‘It’s time. It’s been 17 seasons. You’ve been here for two years longer than Bill Cowher. This potentially could be the time for us to reset.’”
Then, at The Athletic, NFL insider Dianna Russini wrote Saturday that Tomlin’s future with the Steelers “appears to be murky” after how the team has performed recently.
“Tomlin’s contract expires in 2024, and it’s well known the Steelers organization won’t engage in extension talks with players or coaches during the season. So we wait and see,” Russini wrote.
“There has been chatter that perhaps the Steelers would consider trading Tomlin to Washington, Chicago or even Carolina to get back some picks. I think that’s a move the Jets should consider if they aren’t sold on their current staff, but I also know the Steelers understand the value of Tomlin in their city.”
Amid the losses, the Steelers have had some glaring effort issues on the field, including wide receiver Diontae Johnson making no apparent effort to recover a Jaylen Warren fumble against the Bengals last month, and fellow receiver George Pickens was widely criticized for neglecting to block on a Warren rushing play last week.
