Art Rooney II shares if Steelers considered trading Mike Tomlin to Bears

Before the Chicago Bears officially hired former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their new head coach, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Jan. 18 that the Bears called the Pittsburgh Steelers "to see whether they would be allowed to talk to and potentially try to trade for longtime head coach Mike Tomlin, only to have Pittsburgh rebuff their inquiry." 

During a Monday chat with Bob Pompeani of CBS Pittsburgh, Steelers owner and president Art Rooney II revealed how far trade talks with the Bears went. 

"It really didn't go very far," Rooney said about the discussion, as shared by Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot. "We weren't interested in really pursuing it. And so it was a pretty short conversation." 

Even before it became clear following Pittsburgh's wild-card playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens that Rooney wouldn't fire Tomlin, some fans and local media members suggested both individuals should welcome a trade. While Tomlin has never had a losing season since he accepted the job in 2007, his squads haven't notched a single playoff win since the 2016 campaign. Nevertheless, Rooney insisted during Monday's end-of-season media availability that players "still want to play for" the one-time Super Bowl champion head coach.

Meanwhile, Tomlin directly said days after the Baltimore defeat that teams interested in acquiring him this winter should "save your time." The three-year contract extension he received ahead of the 2024 season reportedly included a no-trade clause. 

"Trading coaches is not something that happens very often, [but] the bottom line is, you don't win as many games in this league as Mike Tomlin has. He's a good coach," Rooney added about the Bears' interest in Tomlin. "He's as frustrated as anybody in terms of not taking that next step and knows that's what we need to do." 

Unlike scenarios recently embraced by teams such as the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Steelers seemingly have no succession plan in place regarding an eventual parting of ways with Tomlin. Of course, the fact that the Steelers also don't have a promising young quarterback on the roster, as do teams like the Bears (Caleb Williams) and Jacksonville Jaguars (Trevor Lawrence), could've made it difficult for Pittsburgh to land an advertised upgrade at head coach had the club been willing to trade Tomlin.