Given how the Pittsburgh Steelers ended their regular season along with their disingenuous showing against the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round last weekend, there had been renewed speculation that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin may be on the hot seat.
While speaking with reporters earlier this week, Tomlin all but shut down the idea that he would have interest in being traded from the Steelers when he told other teams to not waste their time. That didn't stop the Chicago Bears from making a call.
According to Adam Schefter, the Bears tried to request permission from the Steelers to speak with Tomlin as a way to open dialogue regarding a potential trade for the head coach. Schefter noted that the Steelers were quick to silence the Bears' attempt, mentioning that the request never reached Tomlin.
No Mike Tomlin for the Chicago Bears.
At the very least, it shows the Bears are truly leaving no stone unturned as they look for their next head coach. Ryan Poles didn't rule out the idea of the Bears trading for their next head coach and a move for Tomlin likely would have been the first step in the general manager getting his job status back on solid ground.
Outside of Tomlin, there has been speculation that the Minnesota Vikings may consider trading Kevin O'Connell, who is entering the final year of his contract as head coach. Even if that were true, it would seem highly unlikely that the Vikings would be willing to trade O'Connell to a team within their division.
The Bears interviewed Baltimore Ravens' offensive coordinator Todd Monken and Buffalo Bills' offensive coordinator Joe Brady on Friday as the team nears the end of the "virtual interview" phase of their search.
Of note, on Saturday, the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders face each other in the divisional round of the playoffs, Meaning, after Saturday, one of Ben Johnson or Kliff Kingsbury will be free to continue the interview process and take a job as a head coach.