Even though Mike Tomlin has gone eight seasons without securing a playoff win, that didn’t stop the Pittsburgh Steelers from retaining their head coach for the 2025 NFL season.
While the Steelers seem content with their current head coach, the situation with the Chicago Bears was quite different. Head coach Matt Eberflus was dismissed mid-season, and though the Bears finally settled on a head coach, it wasn’t a seamless process.
Tomlinson made it clear he’s not interested in coaching any other team, but the Bears still took their shot.
Jim Rooney Weighs In on Mike Tomlin Trade Rumors
According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Bears called the Steelers to discuss a potential head coaching trade. He said that Pittsburgh was not at all interested in the proposal and that the conversation didn’t even reach Tomlin.
“The Bears recently called the Steelers to see if they would be allowed to talk to and potentially try to trade for longtime head coach Mike Tomlin, only to have Pittsburgh rebuff their inquiry, league sources told ESPN,” Schefter wrote in his report.
“Discussions never made it to Tomlin, nor is it likely they would have been successful even if they did.”
Jim Rooney, son of the late Steelers owner Dan Rooney, recently discussed the rumors surrounding Tomlin and a potential trade with Chicago, dismissing the news and saying that the whole idea wasn’t realistic.
“I just don’t think that’s realistic, you know, I don’t know, so I don’t want to get too into the mechanical details of how it works because Mike has said over and over again that that, you know, he wants to coach the Steelers, and that’s, you know, that’s what he wants to do.
“You know, I don’t think there’s any real interest in that happening. It’s intriguing in the world we live in. We need dialog and content all the time. But you know, I just don’t think that’s, that’s probably a realistic action.”
“I just don't think that's realistic… Mike has said over and over again that he wants to coach the Steelers.”
Jim Rooney on the idea of the Steelers trading Mike Tomlin: pic.twitter.com/avOdFuY4O6
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) January 21, 2025
The Steelers ended the 2024 regular season with an overall record of 10-7. Yet, Pittsburgh’s Wild Card Weekend loss to the Baltimore Ravens Wild Card was the team’s sixth consecutive postseason loss.
While it’s been tough for a few years, Tomlin had a simple answer for other NFL teams eyeing him as their head coach. Reaffirming his intention to stay with the franchise despite the backlash from some fans, Tomlin simply told teams, “Save your time.”
