Redskins owner Daniel Snyder is said to have his sights set on Mike Tomlin after he decided to fire Jay Gruden, and the idea of Tomlin leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers to coach in Washington may not be as laughable as it sounds.
While Tomlin’s relationship with the Rooney family remains on solid ground, Snyder wants to make Tomlin the highest-paid coach in football and give him full control over the roster. He’s also willing to part with draft picks if the Steelers are open to a potential deal. According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, the Washington job appeals to Tomlin in some ways.
The Redskins hold training camp in Richmond, Virginia, which is not far from Tomlin’s hometown of Newport News. Tomlin’s son also plays football at the University of Maryland, so coaching in Washington would allow him to be closer to him. There may be some appeal for Tomlin’s assistants, too, as Snyder would likely be willing to pay them more than they currently get in Pittsburgh.
Tomlin also has existing relationships with Redskins president Bruce Allen and general manager Doug Williams, as he worked with them when he was an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tomlin still has a great record as an NFL coach and is not going to be fired following a season in which Ben Roethlisberger was knocked out for the year with an elbow injury. However, La Canfora notes that the Steelers are facing some uncertainty with Roethlisberger getting toward the end of his career and GM Kevin Colbert having declined to sign a contract extension.
Still, Tomlin going to Washington would be a shock. We weren’t able to gather much from his recent response to the rumors, but people around the NFL have a very negative view of the Redskins’ head coaching job. It would be a surprise if Tomlin didn’t share that view.
