rewrite this title Steelers’ Mike Tomlin addresses calls for his firing, trade chatter

While those running the Pittsburgh Steelers seem to be in no hurry to fire head coach Mike Tomlin following the club’s 28-14 wild-card playoff loss to the rival Baltimore Ravens this past Saturday, some analysts and reporters mentioned after that game that interested clubs could call the Steelers about a potential trade for Tomlin’s services. 

Tomlin spoke with reporters on Tuesday and delivered a short message to other teams about his status. 

“Save your time,” Tomlin said, as shared by Ross McCorkle of Steelers Depot. 

Per Scott Polacek of Bleacher Report, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday that the three-year contract extension Tomlin received this past offseason included a no-trade clause. Neither Tomlin nor the Steelers have publicly indicated since Saturday that a divorce is imminent, but NFL analyst Chase Daniel of The Athletic raised some eyebrows when he suggested on the latest episode of the “Scoop City” podcast that Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones could reach out to the Steelers. 

The Cowboys officially parted ways with head coach Mike McCarthy on Monday. 

“I don’t think the Steelers need to move on from Mike Tomlin,” Daniel said, “but I think Tomlin needs to move on from the Steelers.” 

Tomlin has never had a losing season since he accepted the Steelers job in 2007, and the one-time Super Bowl champion coach would immediately attract interest from NFL teams and college programs if he became available. Nevertheless, pockets of Pittsburgh fans want him fired due to the fact that he hasn’t recorded a single playoff win since the 2016 season. 

“I have no response to that,” Tomlin said about outsiders calling for the Steelers to go in a different direction, per Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (h/t Sporting News). “I understand the nature of what it is that we do, the attention and criticism that comes with it. I embrace it, to be honest with you. I enjoy the urgency that comes with what I do and what we do. I don’t make excuses for failure. I own it. But I also feel like I’m capable. As long as I’m afforded an opportunity to do that, I’ll continue. But I certainly understand their frustrations. Probably more important than that, I share it.”

Tomlin will get at least one more opportunity to find a long-term replacement for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who retired in January 2022. Failing to land such a signal-caller could result in the Steelers making a franchise-altering move roughly 12 months from now.