For a large portion of the 2023 season, Mike Tomlin’s future with the Pittsburgh Steelers remained uncertain. After the team lost three games in a row to begin December—two of those games were against the league’s lowest teams, the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots—many fans demanded that Tomlin be fired.
After losing to the Indianapolis Colts, the Steelers improved their postseason chances, and they will take on the Buffalo Bills on Monday in a Wild Card game. But Tomlin’s plans for the upcoming season remain uncertain. We’ll look at a deal with the coach-needy Dallas Cowboys the Steelers could make this summer.
Tomlin isn’t under contract with the Steelers, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports. Tomlin, whose contract is expiring in one year, has never started a season as a lame duck coach. This offseason, Tomlin may choose to avoid entering a lame-duck year with a squad mired in a quarterback dispute.
Florio believes that in order to make up for losing a coach who won a Super Bowl, the Steelers should trade for Tomlin:
As of right now, the options are as follows: (1) sign a new contract with the Steelers; (2) resign and wait to see if the Steelers get in touch with another team in 2024 regarding the acquisition of his contractual rights; (3) resign, wait a year, and see if the Steelers get in touch with another team in 2025 regarding the acquisition of his rights; or (4) decline to sign an extension, finish his contract in 2024, and become a free agent.
In the event that there is no extension, Tomlin will be the most sought-after commodity come 2025. Many teams have been eyeing him for hire for some time. If they knew they could acquire him, several teams would fire the coaches they now have.
In this proposed deal, the Dallas Cowboys acquire Tomlin.
Before the postseason began, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones put head coach Mike McCarthy under pressure. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Cowboys at home on Sunday in the Wild Card game. Following the game, Jones didn’t appear ready to commit to McCarthy.
This season, Bill Belichick, the former head coach of the New England Patriots, has been connected to the Cowboys as a possible successor. But there’s a strong possibility Belichick signs with another team. Tomlin is available to the Cowboys via trade; he would be a better player than McCarthy.
Tomlin
A tiny 2024 draft class would cost the Cowboys valuable draft money. (In the 2024 draft, the Cowboys will only have five picks.) On the other hand, they would have one of the league’s most respected coaches on their side.
The Steelers would lose a fantastic coach—one who just needs a new beginning, though. Additionally, the team could rebuild its offensive line with the aid of the second-round pick they would acquire from the Cowboys.
