News broke on January 6 that the Baltimore Ravens fired their longtime head coach, John Harbaugh. While the move seemed probable to occur, it's not every day that you see a tenured coach hit the market looking for a new job. It's something the Pittsburgh Steelers seem to be toying with themselves despite playing in a playoff game on Monday Night Football.
The outcome of that playoff game could determine Mike Tomlin's fate.
Harbaugh and Tomlin are two leaders with successful track records. Most believe that the Ravens' former head coach will have a new job in the coming weeks and should be able to dictate where he lands. Perhaps Baltimore would love to drag out their coaching search to see what happens between Tomlin and the Steelers. Their coach is under contract, so a potential in-division swap is unlikely.
Pittsburgh would never trade Tomlin within the AFC North, but this creates an interesting hypothetical: if the Ravens were willing to pay a King's ransom to land the historic coach, they would have to listen.
There are too many factors for this to be considered a real possibility moving forward, though there is a slim chance. You can't dismiss any scenario when the wacky offseason of the NFL starts.
Don't anticipate the Pittsburgh Steelers swapping HC Mike Tomlin for John Harbaugh
In truth, Tomlin will probably be the head coach of the Steelers next season unless he decides otherwise. He just won the AFC North division, but many in Pittsburgh are tired of sitting in the mushy middle of the standings. The club often scrapes together a winning record or slips into the playoffs. It's great in theory, but it'll never get them close to Super Bowl contention.
Things are getting stale with the black and gold, which could lead to Tomlin departing the team if he fails to make some progress with his playoff struggles.
The franchise hasn't witnessed a postseason victory since the 2016 season. It's been nine years since that date, and Tomlin is running out of excuses. A playoff disaster could lead to both parties splitting up if they agree upon it.
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The potential vacancy of the Steelers' head coaching job would be the top available opening in the NFL. It's known for stability, which is almost unheard of in professional sports. Harbaugh could be a candidate to become the top dog in Pittsburgh in this scenario, but Baltimore would be foolish to think of Tomlin as a reasonable choice.
The Steelers would also be unwise to trade him to the Ravens.
Odds are, if Tomlin were to depart from his job, he would take a leave of absence for the 2026 season. Otherwise, the Steelers could trade him to where he wants to be, within reason. Harbaugh could be a candidate to replace Tomlin, but not the other way around. Then again, it might be smarter to hire a younger head coach to replace Tomlin rather than a retread like Harbaugh.