The Pittsburgh Steelers are known for only having three head coaches since 1969, which is by far the fewest among the 32 NFL teams in that time span. Currently, the team is coached by Mike Tomlin who has never had a losing season in his 16 full seasons with the organizations and he is currently aiming to finish his 17th season in a row with a record of .500 or better. Since assuming the role of head coach in 2007, Tomlin has been considered one of the best coaches in the NFL.
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Former Steelers owner Dan Rooney along side head coach Mike Tomlin and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger after a victorious Super Bowl XLIII.
Steelers Move On From Tomlin In Kurt Benkert's Hypothetical Scenario
The Steelers have no reason to fire Tomlin or move on from him in any way. However, fans have grown tired of Tomlin due to his irrational loyalty to Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada and consistent mediocrity. Tomlin has also been misplacing blame in his postgame press conferences, which has Steelers fans thinking about moving on. Former NFL quarterback turned media personality Kurt Benkert tweeted out a hypothetical scenario where the Steelers move on from Tomlin, and hire a new head coach for the 2024 season.
I would love to see Mike Tomlin traded as Head Coach to the Raiders and Jim Harbaugh leave Michigan to go become the Steelers Head Coach.
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) November 2, 2023
Two Harbaughs in the AFC North, and Tomlin being able to bring his brand of football/leadership to the Raiders.
In another dimension, maybe.
In Benkert's crazy scenario, Tomlin would be traded to the Las Vegas Raiders to be their new head coach and the Steelers would hire Jim Harbaugh who has been one of the best head coaches in college football over the last decade. Obviously this scenario is extremely far-fetched and unlikely, but it is interesting to think about.
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Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin seems to struggle with challenging calls.
The thought process behind Tomlin being traded to the Raiders is that he would fit in with their culture, and they also have a storied history similar to the Steelers that is headlined by legendary players. The Raiders recently cleaned house, firing their Head Coach Josh McDaniels as well as their general manager and offensive coordinator. The head coach position in Las Vegas is assumed to be open as long the organization doesn't decide to keep their interim Head Coach Antonio Pierce moving forward.
The most recent trade of a head coach was in the 2022 offseason, when Sean Payton agreed to become the new head coach of the Denver Broncos. In order to be released from his prior contract with the New Orleans Saints, the Broncos had to trade a first-round pick and a second-round pick. The Steelers would likely get something similar in this crazy scenario.
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Steelers coached by Jim Harbaugh in crazy hypothetical.
Issues With Hiring Jim Harbaugh
The craziest part of this hypothetical situation isn't the Steelers moving on from Tomlin, but it is bringing in Harbaugh to replace him who is in the middle of a cheating scandal at Michigan. Over the past few weeks, there have been reports about a member of Harbaugh's staff sending others to opponents games to steal signs from their sidelines. They would then report back and Michigan would use these signs to their advantage. Michigan has had a large jump in success over the last few years, and reports are saying it is mostly due to this type of cheating.
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Steelers’ hypothetical 2024 head coach being investigated for cheating.
Harbaugh does have experience as a head coach at the NFL level, and every offseason, there are new rumors of him taking another NFL job. He coached the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 through 2014, and he brought them to the Super Bowl in 2012. They ended up losing the Super Bowl to the Baltimore Ravens who were coached by his brother, John Harbaugh. It was the first time brothers coached opposing teams in the Super Bowl. This would be another enticing factor in this situation, having bother Harbaugh brothers coaching in the AFC North and on each side of the biggest rivalry in the NFL between the Steelers and Ravens.
This scenario would obviously never happen, as all things that would need to happen are extremely far-fetched. The Steelers would never trade Tomlin as a head coach, especially to another team in the AFC. Also, if the Steelers did have a vacancy at head coach, they would never bring in a candidate in the middle of a cheating scandal.
What do you think about this hypothetical? Let us know in the comments below!
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