Tensions have been high for the Pittsburgh Steelers, especially because the team has lost three of its last four games. Fingers have been pointed, and players and fans are getting frustrated. Although the Steelers are still in first place of the AFC North, their lead has shrunk down to one game following three straight wins by the Baltimore Ravens. With the season already appearing to be on the line, many Steelers fans are calling for a changing of the guard, and recent rumors started to circulate about a potential trade with an NFC East opponent.
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Steelers' Mike Tomlin looks on during a regular season game.
The New York Giants recently fired their head coach, Brian Daboll, after the team fell to 2-8 following a 24-20 loss to the Chicago Bears in a game where the Giants held a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. With the Giants being one of the biggest brands in the National Football League, fans and media members began to search for potential replacements from Daboll for 2026, and Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin has had his name thrown around.
Any word of a potential Tomlin trade or firing at this point is pure speculation. Tomlin is still one of the most respected coaches in the NFL, and Pittsburgh ownership hasn't showed any desire to let Tomlin go. However, it doesn't mean that fans and the media can't think about hypotheticals. If the Steelers decided to trade Tomlin to New York or any other NFL team, he would likely be worth numerous high draft picks, and it would put the Steelers in position to completely reshape the franchise.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin stands on the field and watches his team practice during a 2025 training camp workout at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Trading Tomlin away simply isn't a Pittsburgh thing to do. For a franchise that has only had three head coaches since 1969, firing a head coach, nevertheless trading a head coach, just isn't something the Steelers would likely do, and that is exactly what Pittsburgh Post-Gazette beat writer Ray Fittipaldo said recently during an appearance on The Fan Morning Show on 93.7 The Fan.
"In years past, the Steelers would never do that. They would never even listen to the offer," Fittipaldo said. "They wouldn't even take the phone call. I can't sit here and tell you that it's 100 percent gonna be that way again, but I would tend to think it would be. I don't think they've lost faith in that building just because of a rough month here. I think something really bad would have to transpire in the last two months of the season for them to even consider that. From the Steelers' perspective, I still don't think that would be in play."
It appears as if Steeler Nation is quickly losing patience for Tomlin and company. It has been nine years since the Steelers won a playoff game, and for a team that prides itself on postseason success and Super Bowls, it feels as if the franchise has lost its way.
Steelers Allegedly Received Phone Call Regarding Tomlin Trade Last Offseason
Rumors began to spread in January regarding another NFC team making a phone call to Omar Khan in regards to a trade for Tomlin. After firing Head Coach Matt Eberflus, the Bears began their own search for a new head coach, and that included a check on Tomlin's availability. It was then later revealed by ESPN insider Adam Schefter that the Bears were not the only team to call about Tomlin, although the second team was never revealed.
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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025 in East Rutherford, NJ.
All in all, there is still a lot of football left in the 2025 season. The Steelers are still in position to win the division and they control their own destiny from this point forward. However, if things spiral sideways, a potential conversation about moving on from Tomlin might not be such an unrealistic thing to talk about.
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