The Pittsburgh Steelers are at an unprecedented point in their franchise. They’ve gone eight seasons without a playoff win under Mike Tomlin. For context, Chuck Noll never went more than four seasons without a playoff win and Bill Cowher never went more than three. Yet, fans find themselves back in the seemingly unbreakable cycle of watching Pittsburgh back into the playoffs before being humiliated by a team not trapped in the past.

Despite that, the Steelers have made it pretty clear that Tomlin isn’t going anywhere, even if there are teams that would be willing to trade for him. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Chicago Bears reached out to the Steelers and inquired about trading for Tomlin, which was rebuffed by the Steelers.

The Bears recently called the Steelers to see if 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, league sources told ESPN.https://t.co/MviaUsBrjG

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 18, 2025

While Tomlin has a no-trade clause in his contract, not even entertaining the offer and hearing what they could get in return feels foolish. The franchise is stuck in the mud and refuses to make any sort of substantial change or even put anything resembling a flame under Tomlin’s seat.