Steelers Mike Tomlin takes center stage in outlandish rumor

Every once in a while, a Steelers rumor or story pops up that is so outlandish you have to stop, think, and either roll your eyes or laugh hysterically.  

For those of you who scour Twitter and the internet, you probably have already heard the rumor by now. For those of you that haven’t, you had better sit down. On October 25th, a story broke, and it was one of those; when you heard it, you probably said, “What?”

Former USC and Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer had commented on who would take over as head coach of the USC Trojans. The story might not have made much news, except he said that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin could be in the mix for the position as he said  Tomlin is a “wild card” for the position.

It’s hard to say what was more ridiculous, the fact Tomlin’s name even came up or the criteria Palmer used in even suggesting it. Here’s what Dan Patrick had to say:

Palmer’s train of thought is this was interesting:  Suppose Ben Roethlisberger retires at the end of the 2021 season. In that case, it could lead one to assume Tomlin would be tired of his current situation, especially if he has to now start over with a fresh first-round draft pick to lead the Steelers in the quarterback position.

Steelers head coach isn’t going anywhere

First, there has never been any indication that Tomlin desires to leave the organization, well, not yet anyway. He has now coached the Steelers for 14 ½ seasons, and under his leadership, they have never finished less than 8-8.

How many coaches out there can make that claim? Chuck Noll Cant, Bill Cowher can’t. For that matter, neither can Bill Walsh or George Halas. Marty Schottenheimer, though from 1984-1997, had the longest streak of non-losing seasons. Until his 7-9 record with the Chiefs in 1998 spoiled that.  Then another guy coached fewer seasons, only 10, but never had a losing season, someone by the name of Vince Lombardi. So you’re putting Tomlin’s name up there with some exclusive company.

Secondly, it’s hard to fathom that Tomlin would decide to switch jobs and go to USC because he has to start with another quarterback. Unless perhaps Tomlin just does not want to have a losing season period. Possible, but unlikely. Unless perhaps that happens this year and the Steelers do not break .500, but then it seems hard to imagine.

Third, he has plenty of options. A coach of Tomlin’s prominence will end up in the Hall of Fame and could go anywhere in the NFL or even a GM spot or a tv analyst. Going to USC would be the least likely option.

Then on the 26th, Tomlin addressed the rumor in a press conference, in which the notion of talking about it seemed to irritate Tomlin. The icing on the cake was his statement, “there is not a booster with a big enough blank check.”

So while Carson Palmer may have used Mike Tomlin’s name, it seems more likely he referenced Tomlin as an example of the type of coach that might consider the USC job, not that Tomlin would.

Then again, it seems perhaps Palmer was serious, and in this case, it’s hard to tell. He tried to answer the question cryptically in that he didn’t want to confirm Tomlin’s name but didn’t want to deny it either.

One thing is for sure: if Tomlin does leave the Steelers for any reason, it will not have anything to do with a coaching vacancy at USC.