Saturday morning we learned that Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has a no-trade clause in his contract.
According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Chicago Bears reached out to the Steelers to see if they could speak with Tomlin and try to pull off a trade for the longtime coach in Pittsburgh. They were quickly shut down.
Schefter also explained that at least one other team besides the Bears inquired about the status of Pittsburgh’s lead man, only to be informed that Tomlin has that no-trade clause and cannot be moved.
Of course, this news comes after Tomlin faced some backlash locally and nationally after yet another first-round bow out from the NFL Playoffs, this time at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens.
It’s been a trend for the Steelers, who consistently make noise in the regular season despite playing in a talented AFC North, just to fizzle out come the end of the year.
But why should the Bears care about that? They are looking for a head coach to get them over the hump and back into the NFL Playoffs. They’re looking for someone to nurture a winning environment for quarterback Caleb Williams, who Chicago hopes is the face of the franchise for years to come.
While the recent playoff success has not been there for Tomlin, there is no doubt that he has sustained a winning culture in Pittsburgh. The Steelers have not given him much help in the last half-decade, as he has had to deal with the bones of Ben Roethlisberger, a bad Kenny Pickett draft pick, and most recently a hybrid mashup of Justin Fields and Russell Wilson.
Yet he still has never had a losing season. There’s something to be said for creating a consistent winning culture—that’s something that Bears fans would yearn for.
Some online social media accounts and pundits will make fun of the Bears for this swing and miss because it’s the trendy thing to do. They’re a recently bad organization that has become the butt of many jokes around the league.
But give them credit for the big swing in the first place. After firing Matt Eberflus, who had the primetime blunder of a lifetime on Thanksgiving Day, the Bears somehow looked even worse to close out the regular season, especially defensively. There’s nothing wrong with calling and checking the availability of one of the best coaches of this era, especially because he’s seemingly fallen out of favor with some of the spoiled fans in Pennsylvania.
The Bears missed out on top head coach candidate Mike Vrabel, who was quickly hired by the New England Patriots. They also have interviewed Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and newly available Mike McCarthy, who is finally free from the shackles of Jerry Jones in Dallas.
Calling on Tomlin proves that Chicago understands how important this hire is. It’s all about getting the most out of Williams, their prized, can’t-miss No. 1 overall quarterback.
