Unlike last year, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin didn’t walk away when asked by reporters about his future. Like last year, he handled one specific question about his future with a very specific and clear message.
Asked for his message to any team that might be interested in possibly trading for him, Tomlin said this: “I have no message. Save your time.”
As recently explained, any coach can put the kibosh on a potential trade by refusing to engage in talks with the team that has secured permission to negotiate with him, after reaching a deal on compensation with the coach’s current team.
For Tomlin, why agree to a trade? If the Steelers don’t want him, they should fire him. And he can take another job now without compensation to Pittsburgh, or he can wait a year (with full pay) and loom over the 2026 coaching carousel.
The topic of a potential trade became relevant because the report regarding Tomlin’s future wasn’t that the Steelers will not fire Tomlin but that they are “not planning” to make a coaching change. Clearly, Tomlin is not planning to go anywhere else, voluntarily.