Mike Tomlin in Chicago? The Steelers say 'not so fast!'
While it does appear that the Chicago Bears' search for their next head coach has been whittled down to just two candidates — former Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson — that doesn't mean that Bears general manager Ryan Poles would pass on the opportunity to swing for the fences. But what exactly does swinging for the fences look like when it comes to a head coaching search?
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Perhaps trading for a 52-year-old head coach who has the 11th-most wins in NFL history fits the bill?
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bears recently made a call to the Pittsburgh Steelers to inquire about the availability of head coach Mike Tomlin. This call presumably came right around the time that Tomlin bluntly said, “Save your time,” when asked what his message would be to any teams thinking about making a trade request with the Steelers to pry him away from Pittsburgh. Apparently in the midst of interviewing dozens of head coaching candidates, Ryan Poles didn't get this memo. But as Schefter reported, these discussion never even made it to Tomlin.
The Bears will need to continue to play the waiting game, presumably for as long as the Lions are in the Playoffs. Ben Johnson has been rumored to be Chicago's front-runner for months now, and he's the selection du jour of most Bears fans, myself included. I'll hold off on going too in-depth on the possibility that the Bears could end up hiring Mike McCarthy, if only because I don't want to end up weeping this early in the morning. Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman is a potential wild card, though I don't see him leaving South Bend.
As far as the Steelers go, it looks like they'll continue their trend of consistency and stability. Tomlin is one of just three men who have been the head coach of the Steelers since 1969, and it doesn't sound like that'll change this offseason.
Despite the fact that Mike Tomlin recently led the Steelers to their 18th consecutive season without a losing record, many have suggested that what is now nearly a ten year run without a Playoff victory indicates that Pittsburgh should be ready to move on from their long-time head coach. To that, I say phooey! Tomlin's career record in Pittsburgh is 183-107-2. The Patriots and Packers are the only teams that have won more games than the Steelers since 2007, the year Tomlin took over in the Steel City.
Steelers’ Mike Tomlin Indicates No Interest in Trade
It’s rather clear the Steelers aren’t interested in moving on from Tomlin despite the coach’s six-game playoff losing streak. But even if they were, Tomlin must accept any trade to a new team because of his no-trade clause.
The head coach all but said he doesn’t want to coach for another team.
“Save your time,” said Tomlin on January 14 when asked about his message to other teams pursuing a trade.
Tomlin has famously never suffered a losing season in 18 seasons with the Steelers. He also has 183 regular season victories, which is only 10 shy of Chuck Noll’s franchise record.
But Noll went 16-8 in the postseason and won four Super Bowls. Bill Cowher won his last four postseason games to improve to 12-9 in the playoffs. Cowher also capped off his Steelers coaching career with a Super Bowl title.
Tomlin won the Super Bowl during his second season. But he is 8-12 in the playoffs overall. He’s suffered six consecutive postseason losses dating back to January 2017.
Tomlin’s New Contract Value
The Steelers haven’t fired a head coach in more than 50 years. While the franchise has experienced a lot of success, they’ve also gone through some lean years where they remained loyal to their head coach.
Schefter pointed to that fact as a reason they are staying with Tomlin this offseason. But his new contract could be an even bigger reason.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac said while appearing on The Rich Eisen Show that Tomlin’s three-year extension is worth more than $16 million per season.
“Look, they gave him a three-year, $50 million extension in June, and they’re not just gonna walk away from that,” said Dulac.
According to Sportico, Andy Reid and Sean Payton are the only NFL head coaches paid more per season.
Tomlin’s extension won’t expire until the 2027 season.
