Tomlin Trade Talks Ignite: Orlovsky Suggest Steelers Coach Should Consider Being Traded

The Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly expected to receive some trade calls about head coach Mike Tomlin this offseason, with Adam Schefter of ESPN already reporting that the team has rebuffed one such offer.

It has also been reported that Tomlin has a no-trade clause in the new, three-year contract between him in the team that starts in 2025, which could certainly complicate matters, even if the Steelers wanted Tomlin to go.

But what if Tomlin himself wants to leave? The 18-year veteran coach has never given any sign that he would want out of Pittsburgh, but did admit this week that he bears the weight of the team’s recent playoff failures.

“What you mentioned is my story, it’s not this collective’s story,” Tomlin said. “Many of these guys involved do not tote those bags. I happily tote those bags, but it’s not something that I’m going to project on the collective.”

Whether those failures have worn on him enough to consider a place like Chicago — which hasn’t won a playoff game since 2010 — a greener pasture, is unknown. But ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky made the case for why Tomlin might want to leave Pittsburgh on Thursday.

“Should Mike Tomlin entertain leaving the Steelers for the Bears? Sure,” Orlovsky said in an appearance on First Take. “Because you haven’t gotten me a quarterback. Now, do I think the Steelers should entertain trading Mike Tomlin? Because I’ve seen that, obviously, in the conversations. I think that’s the dumbest thing I’ve heard in the NFL this season.”

Orlovsky said that since the decline of Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers have exceeded reasonable expectations because of the coaching ability of Tomlin, and have have failed to come close to their ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl because of a failure to acquire impact talent at the quarterback position.

The Bears might have that, using the first overall pick on Caleb Williams in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Bears also finished 5-12, way out of contention in what turned out to be the toughest division in football, so they clearly also have plenty of work to do.