Ben Roethlisberger responds to Mike Tomlin trade rumors

The Pittsburgh Steelers seemingly aren't firing head coach Mike Tomlin following their 28-14 wild-card playoff loss to the rival Baltimore Ravens, but some noteworthy members of the football community continue to suggest both he and the Steelers should welcome an offseason breakup that would involve Tomlin accepting a trade to a different team. 

On the latest episode of the "Footbahlin' with Ben Roethlisberger" podcast, the Steelers legend and former Pittsburgh guard Ramon Foster touched upon the Tomlin rumors that haven't quieted down even though he strongly hinted that he isn't going anywhere. 

"It'd have to be someone that you felt super comfortable with that you knew could turn it around right now," Roethlisberger said about the Steelers potentially replacing Tomlin this winter, as shared by Troy Montgomery of Steelers Depot. "Because you don't want to lose the guys you have on defense. The question is, is coach [Tomlin's] message getting stale? Is it just going over people's heads?"

While Tomlin famously has never had a losing season since he earned the Steelers job in 2007, the fact that the one-time Super Bowl champion head coach hasn't recorded a playoff win since the 2016 campaign has caused people to wonder if the franchise needs a new voice. Foster, who serves as a Tennessee Titans sideline radio reporter, mentioned that Pittsburgh would need to "have a guy in mind that you wanted to bring in" to move on from Tomlin. 

For example, it's now clear that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was confident when he fired head coach Jerod Mayo that Mike Vrabel would take the job. If those running the Steelers have such a replacement for Tomlin in mind, they've done a fantastic job of keeping it a secret. 

"If there was a year to move on, I thought it was this one," Foster added while mentioning a 10-3 Pittsburgh team ended the season with five-straight losses. 

Some will continue to speculate until Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones hires a new head coach that he could make a move for Tomlin before the weekend of Super Bowl LIX arrives. Perhaps Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady could reach out to Tomlin after former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson rejected the Raiders to become the next head coach of the Chicago Bears. 

Tomlin is probably staying put, but it's nevertheless interesting to note that both he and the Steelers would have options if they agreed that a parting of the ways would be what's best for everybody involved.