Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin opted to resign following the Monday's wild-card round loss against the Houston Texans.
It was another first-round playoff loss for Tomlin and the Steelers, and some form of change was expected. The biggest question was whether Tomlin would resign or the franchise would fire him before the end of his contract. Tomlin opted to step down, which could have short-term effects on the Steelers.
Here is more on why the Steelers still own Tomlin's coaching rights.
MORE: Why did Mike Tomlin step down as Steelers head coach?
Mike Tomlin contract details
NFL coaching contracts are not fully public. Exact details about the contracts can sometimes be pieced together through various reports, but the only thing confirmed is the length of the deal.
Tomlin had been with Pittsburgh since 2007 and had signed many contract extensions with the franchise. The now-former head coach most recently signed an extension that covered him through the 2026 season and included a team option for the 2027 season. It was estimated that he was making about $16.5 million annually.
While a change was expected with another first-round playoff loss, the biggest question was whether or not Tomlin would resign or be fired. The head coach ultimately decided to walk away, creating an interesting short-term situation for Pittsburgh.
Since Tomlin was under contract through the 2026 season and was not fired, that means the Steelers retain his coaching rights. If another team were to want to hire Tomlin as their new head coach before the end of the 2027 season, the new team would have to trade for him from Pittsburgh.
This recently happened when the Denver Broncos traded for head coach Sean Payton from the New Orleans Saints ahead of the 2023 NFL season. Denver sent a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick for Payton.
MORE: Will Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers retire?
Will Mike Tomlin be traded?
Tomlin is 53 years old and will turn 54 later this offseason. While the current best guess is that he takes a year off to do some television work, he could decide he wants to stay in coaching and keep going.
If a new team wants to hire Tomlin, they will have to trade for him in a deal with the Steelers. Tomlin's contract included a no-trade clause, but the assumption is that he and the Steelers would work together if he wanted to coach for a new team.
After Tomlin's current contract, including team option, is up after the 2027 NFL season, a potential new team wanting to hire Tomlin would not have to trade for him, and could just hire him as he would be considered a free agent.
MORE: Ranking the greatest Steelers of all time
Can NFL head coaches be traded?
NFL franchises own the coaching rights to their head coaches when they sign them to contracts. Some head coaches, like Tomlin, will have no-trade clauses in their deals. This means that the coach in question has the ability to veto a trade that they don't want. Likely, though, the head coach is the one who orchestrates the deal, so the no-trade clause usually isn't needed.
There have been seven head coaches traded in NFL history.
- 1997 -- Bill Parcells traded from the Patriots to the Jets for four picks and $300,000
- 1999 -- Mike Holmgren traded from Packers to Seahawks for a second-round pick
- 2000 -- Bill Belichick traded from Jets to Patriots for three picks
- 2002 -- Jon Gruden traded from Raiders to Buccaneers for four picks and $8 million
- 2006 -- Herm Edwards traded from Jets to Chiefs for a fourth-round pick
- 2019 -- Bruce Arians traded from Cardinals to Buccaneers for a sixth-round pick
- 2023 -- Sean Payton traded from Saints to Broncos for two picks