The Pittsburgh Steelers have had three (3) head football coaches since 1969. The organization values stability more than maybe any other in not just football but professional sports, and currently holding down that job is Mike Tomlin, who has been there since 2007.
As such, when Carson Palmer went on the Dan Patrick Show this week and had Tomlin’s name attached to the candidate list for the USC coaching vacancy, it drew a lot of confusion and laughter. Why would Tomlin leave one of the best jobs in football, where the hot seat doesn’t really exist, for a college football program that has had six people hold the title of head coach since Tomlin took over in Pittsburgh? The answer is, he wouldn’t, and on Tuesday he was asked about his name coming up in the rumor mill and decided he had some time to shut it down now and in perpetuity.
Yeah, Mike Tomlin is very much not entertaining the USC job. He is SO mad. pic.twitter.com/JbpF5eQnz0
— Jack Crosby (@JCrosbyCBS) October 26, 2021
That is a man who cannot believe he has to be asked about this, noting that other longtime coaches don’t field the same questions and highlighting what I noted above in how the Steelers are one of the best jobs in all of football. His line about there not being a booster with enough money and a blank check anywhere in the country is one of the best denials of all-time, as well.
Why his name came up in the first place is a much better question, as Palmer just kind of tossed his name out. Whether it was an old Bengal just messing with the Steelers or some booster thinking he had that kind of check to make Tomlin think about it, the answer is an emphatic no, and I would probably avoid asking Mike about other jobs in the future.