Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is stepping down from the Steelers organization, as per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Tomlin is believed to be making the decision on his own accord, meaning he was not fired from the team, but rather chose to leave. This season was Tomlin’s 19th season in charge, as he led the Steelers to a 10-7 regular season record. The Steelers lost in the Wild Card round of the playoffs last night to the Houston Texans, and Tomlin has now stepped down a day later.
As it pertains to the Dolphins, Tomlin will surely be considered for the open position in Miami. The Dolphins recently held interviews with former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, and Chargers defensive coordinator Jessie Minter, and are still conducting interview with many candidates as the days go on. New general manager John-Eric Sullivan has many options to choose from, in what will be his first major decision as general manager of the team. It’s not clear yet if the Dolphins are looking for a proven commodity, a hotshot coordinator, or simply the best candidate available. Nonetheless, Miami would be foolish to not do their due diligence with Tomlin.
Crucially, it’s important to note that since Tomlin was not fired, the Steelers still own the rights to his contract. Thus, a trade must take place before Tomlin can join another team.
The Dolphins actually once interviewed Mike Tomlin, way back in 2007, following former head coach Nick Saban’s departure from the team. Owner Wayne Huizenga eventually decided to go with Cam Cameron as head coach, and the rest is history.
Though John Harbaugh is likely still the leading candidate on the market, Tomlin will undoubtedly be getting a number of calls from around the league as well. There are currently nine open head coaching roles in the NFL: Dolphins, Titans, Cardinals, Ravens, Steelers, Browns, Falcons, Giants, Raiders.
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