The rumors weren't going to die on their own. Mike Tomlin had to extinguish them.
That's exactly what he did.
For the last week, we've been inundated with speculation about Tomlin being a dark horse candidate for the coaching jobs at LSU and USC. Former NFL GM Doug Whaley floated the LSU possibility on The Fan Morning Show, while Carson Palmer let Tomlin's name slip during his interview yesterday on "The Dan Patrick Show."
On Tuesday, Tomlin was asked about those possibilities. It's safe to say they're not on his radar.
"Guys, I don't have time for that speculation. That's a joke to me. I got one of the best jobs in all of professional sport," Tomlin said. "Why would I have any interest in coaching college football? That will be the last time I address it — not only today, but moving forward. Never say never, but NEVER."
There's no room for interpretation there: Tomlin isn't interested in LSU or USC, and probably never will be. Contrast Tomlin's performance with James Franklin, who said last month he was going to chat with the team's leadership council about the rumors tying him to USC. "I'll discuss this today with the leadership council so we can make sure that all of our energy is on our preparation for Auburn and that's how we'll handle it," he told reporters.
Tomlin sounded a little more emphatic, don't you think?
"There's not a booster with a big enough blank check," he said. "Is anybody asking Sean Payton about that, and Andy Reid about stuff like that?"
The idea that Tomlin was going to leave the Steelers was always farcical. As he mentioned, he has one of the best coaching jobs in sports. The Steelers have only hired three head coaches since 1969. Tomlin has more stability than anybody in his profession.
He's also an incredibly successful NFL coach, winning a Super Bowl and presiding over nine playoff teams. Winning NFL coaches don't typically jump to college. Pete Carroll was coming off a disappointing run in New England when he took the USC job; Nick Saban imploded in Miami before arriving in Tuscaloosa.
In addition, Tomlin is signed through 2024. There's been a lot of talk about how Tomlin might be unwilling to guide the Steelers in their post-Roethlisberger years, but if that were the case, why did he sign an extension? Roethlisberger isn't going to be around until 2024.
But Tomlin will be.
