Two weeks ago, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger took the discussion about coach Mike Tomlin’s future to the next level by raising the question of whether the two sides should move on in the days following a 26-7 home loss to the Bills.
Roethliberg changed his tune Monday night when speaking to reporters.
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“Just because I said, you know, maybe it’s time to do something new – that’s just saying, I think, you know, Coach Tomlin, if he wants to move forward, He has every right to want to move on“, Roethlisberger said, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com. “They shouldn’t be doing this. It’s up to him. He has earned this right. And, you know, if he wants to do something else, he can and he should, and we should respect him when the time comes. Whenever that time comes. Maybe he wants to coach for another ten years. That’s fine too. “
Roethlisberger’s initial comments didn’t make it sound like a one-way deal, but rather a mutual split.
“People talk about this a lot here: Maybe it’s time for a spring cleaning. Maybe it’s time,” Roethlisberger said. “I like Coach Tomlin. I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin. But maybe that’s what’s best for him, too. Maybe a new beginning is best for him. Either as a professional player, maybe as a head coach at Penn State. Do you know what he’ll do at Penn State? He’s probably going to win a national championship. Because he’s a great recruiter. “
When Roethlisberger first addressed the issue two weeks ago, he made it clear that Tomlin should not be fired. But he still said it might be in the team’s best interest to make changes.
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“You can’t fire a guy like Coach Tomlin,” Roethlisberger said on his podcast. “He’s a Hall of Fame head coach, he’s respected. What you do is come to an understanding and a consensus, like, ‘Hey, listen, I think this is probably what’s best for both of us.'”
If Tomlin wants to coach another NFL team and the Steelers insist on huge draft compensation, the issue becomes even more thorny. Tomlin arguably has earned the right through 19 years of service and won’t delay his next opportunity by letting his new team give up a first-round pick or more.
That’s where it gets interesting, because Tomlin Can veto any transaction Refusing to cooperate with the standard process of trading a head coach from one team to another.