Steelers Trading Mike Tomlin To The New York Giants Gains Legitimate Traction

The Pittsburgh Steelers can be labeled as stale based on the current state of the organization. Head Coach Mike Tomlin is respected as one of the best leaders throughout the NFL, but fans in the Steel City have truly gotten tired of non-losing seasons that result in no playoff success. It's been nearly a decade since the organization celebrated a postseason victory, and it's a constant battle between the team not being good enough to win a Super Bowl, but also not being bad enough to draft early in the first round. That, partnered with the lack of a true franchise quarterback, is troubling.

As Steelers fans everywhere panic following a pitiful showing against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10, the clock has already started on the black and gold faithful's desire for a coaching change at the end of the year. It's not likely that Art Rooney II will pull the trigger, but the franchise's owner did mention during the 2025 offseason that no playoff success is unacceptable.

Senior Writer for The Athletic, Ian O'Connor, came up with an idea on Tuesday morning that could shock some fans across the NFL's landscape. There's an organization that would love to have Tomlin, and be willing to pay for him via trade as well. After firing Brian Daboll, the New York Giants could be calling the Steelers for Tomlin.

"For starters, the Giants and Steelers are close NFL cousins with founding fathers who were among the league’s first guardians," O'Connor wrote. "The Maras are the Rooneys, and the Rooneys are the Maras, and you don’t need to be Rooney Mara, the award-winning actress and great-granddaughter of both teams’ founders, to understand that the franchises would make for agreeable business partners in a compensation deal."

The prospect of a move like this would certainly depend on how Pittsburgh finishes the 2025 campaign. The team remains in first place in the AFC North, even though the Baltimore Ravens are finally hitting their stride and getting healthy. If the Giants want to make a move that lets their fan base know that winning is the top priority, going after Tomlin makes the most sense, per O'Connor.

"The Giants’ walk-off home run hire here is the 53-year-old Tomlin, who is two decades younger than Belichick and whose program did not crater after Ben Roethlisberger’s departure like Belichick’s did after Tom Brady’s."

Whether it would be labeled as a hire or not, the only way the Super Bowl-winning head coach would end up in New York is likely via trade, because he is under contract through 2027. It would be very uncharacteristic of the Steelers, but it's not out of the question, especially if Pittsburgh has a terrible end-of-season run as it did in 2024.

At some point, it has to be time for Rooney to look in the mirror and realize Tomlin hasn't been capable of putting together consistent, playoff-contending football teams. While he will always be beloved in the Steel City, it could soon be time for a change. 

Sure, O'Connor pitching the idea could be a knee-jerk reaction to Pittsburgh's awful Week 10 performance, but regardless, it's not even Thanksgiving, and pundits are beginning to notice that splitting up could be in the cards for the Steelers and Tomlin.

Steelers Have To Keep Up With The Times In Present-Day NFL

Tomlin is a Hall of Fame head coach that will have success whether he is in Pittsburgh or not. The situation that is most comparable is Andy Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles' break-up. Both parties are doing just fine years later, which is something that the Steelers need to analyze moving forward. It may be in everyone's best interest to part ways sooner rather than later, so that a fresh start is experienced by all.

Do you think that it is time for the Steelers to consider trading, or flat out firing, Tomlin? Let us know in the comments below!

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