Steelers Fans Get Rough Mike Tomlin Trade News

Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin before an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Steelers Fans Get Rough Mike Tomlin Trade News

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Aug 7, 2026 5:37 PM ET

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The Pittsburgh Steelers may not net any compensation once, and if, Mike Tomlin decides to return to coaching down the line.

Per 93.7 The Fan's Andrew Fillipponi, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio disclosed that the Steelers would not receive a trade package in return for Tomlin due to the terms of his contract with the organization.

"Report: The Steelers will receive NO compensation for Mike Tomlin. If he becomes a head coach again in 2027," Fillipponi wrote. "The terms of his deal with the Steelers will expire after this season. Per Mike Florio.

"What a bummer."

If Florio's report turns out to be true, it would serve as a negative development for a Steelers team that could desperately use draft picks in exchange for their former head coach.

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

How Not Trading Tomlin Could Hurt Steelers' Search for Franchise QB

Tomlin, whose stint as part of NBC's "Football Night in America" team began with the Hall of Fame Game, stepped down from the Steelers following their Wild Card round loss to the Houston Texans in the playoffs last season.

Though some frustration set in amongst Pittsburgh's fan base given the lack of postseason success in recent years, evidenced by a seven-game losing streak dating back nearly a decade in that setting, Tomlin is still a legendary head coach who is destined to be enshrined into the Hall of Fame one day.

Regarded as one of the better head coaches in the league, there will certainly be a strong market when or if Tomlin opts to take an opportunity with a different organization, whether that comes next offseason or in a few years.

Because of the plausible demand for a coach of Tomlin's caliber, the Steelers could cash in big if a trade were to ever be on the table.

Take Sean Payton for example, who retired after the 2021 season and spent the following year as an analyst for FOX before the New Orleans Saints traded his contractual rights to the Denver Broncos in early 2023 for a package including a first- and second-round pick.

It's not absurd to believe Tomlin could fetch a return at the very least similar or perhaps greater than Payton's. For a franchise that needs a franchise quarterback, one or potentially two first-rounders would do wonders for Pittsburgh when it comes to aiding its pursuit of a top prospect at the position.

If Florio is right, though, the Steelers would find it that much harder to get out of quarterback purgatory.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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