Pittsburgh Steelers make Mike Tomlin stance perfectly clear after trade request
The Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly rebuffed a trade request from the Chicago Bears for head coach Mike Tomlin, who has publicly stated he has no interest in leaving the organization
His team were beaten 28-14, exiting at the Wild Card Round in disappointing circumstances.
It was the Steelers sixth consecutive postseason defeat in a row.
But the AFC North side have made a call on whether or not to cut their losses with Tomlin.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he will NOT be fired this offseason.
This is despite public outcry from fans and analysts.
The team want to stick with him for the 2025 season, despite the embarrassing early playoff exit.
Tomlin only signed a three-year extension before this NFL campaign.
That will keep him with the team until 2027.
He is the longest-running head coach in the league.
The 52-year-old is on $15 million-a-year.
It is the eighth time the Steelers have lost in the first round of the playoffs under Tomlin.
He has been with the side for 18 years.
Steelers insider Gerry Dulac revealed the shock news on social media.
And that caused an outcry from furious Steelers fans, who have demanded change.
One supported raged: “Gonna need to make every home game hell for him.
“Fire Tomlin chants start in preseason.
Another added: “Steelers fans will need to show their disapproval and opinions via their wallets and call-in talk shows.
“This take offered by Mr. Dulac seems to leave open, Tomlin resigning.
“Does @coachtomlin have any integrity?
“He and his family know the rumblings and they’re well-deserved.”
The Steelers defeat in Baltimore wasn’t the only issue for Tomlin.
It came after five end-of-season losses in a row for Russell Wilson and Co.
Terry Bradshaw’s brutal Mike Tomlin comments re-emerge as Steelers make sack decision
Terry Bradshaw has previously been critical of Mike Tomlin’s leadership, as the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach faces increasing pressure from fans to call it quits
Terry Bradshaw once claimed that Mike Tomlin wasn’t a “great coach at all”, amidst calls from Pittsburgh Steelers fans to fire their head coach.
Tomlin has been at the Steelers since 2007, leading the team to a playoff game in 12 out of 18 opportunities. While the AFC North franchise won the Super Bowl just two years into Tomlin’s reign – a 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals – his recent results have been less than impressive.
After leading the Steelers to an 8-2 record by week 10 of the 2024 NFL season, Tomlin’s results started to dip, and fans were growing less convinced of his coaching. Finishing 10-7, the team headed into the playoffs for a Wildcard match-up against their rivals, the Baltimore Ravens.
However, it was yet another disappointing playoff run as they crashed out with a 28-14 loss to the Ravens, and fans frustrations continue to increase. The last four times the Steelers were in the playoffs – 2024, 2023, 2021 and 2020 – they fell at the first hurdle and were beaten at the Wildcard round.
One man who has all the experience of being a Steelers legend is Bradshaw, and he had previously admitted his lack of confidence in Tomlin almost a full decade before now. In a TV appearance back in 2015, Bradshaw admitted that he didn’t see a great coach in Tomlin, and noted that he saw him as more of a “cheerleader” for the team.
The now-76-year-old brutally said at the time: “I don’t think he’s a great coach at all. He’s a nice coach and I’ve said this, he’s really a great cheerleader guy, I don’t know what he does. But I don’t think that he’s a great coach at all. His name never even pops in my mind when we think about great coaches in the NFL.”
While Bradshaw doesn’t seem to have much confidence in Tomlin’s reign, the hierarchy at the Steelers have put their trust in the 52-year-old heading into the 2025 season.
Tomlin had signed a three-year extension to his contract before the 2024 season, keeping him with the team until 2027.
However, with fans calling for his resignation and frustration only continuing to grow, it doesn’t look like the Steelers head coach will have much time to get everyone – potentially including Bradshaw – back on side.
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