Forget about coach trade picks.
Fox analyst and former Cowboys Super Bowl-winning coach Jimmie Johnson has proposed a radical concept to revitalize the struggling Dallas and Pittsburgh franchises.
“I don't have any inside information, but things are unstable in Pittsburgh. Things are stalled in Dallas,” Johnson said Sunday. “Then, let me just think about it, what about a coaching change? Mike McCarthy is a Pittsburgh guy. Let him go to Pittsburgh, let Mike Tomlin go to Dallas, and both franchises would be excited. I guess.”
There were eight trades involving coaches in the NFL last year, including Denver's acquisition of Sean Payton, but none involved a coach-to-coach swap.
If the team agrees to trade their coach, it would be an absolute blockbuster, especially when it involves two of the league's most storied franchises.
Even if this is more of a fanciful idea than reality, Johnson's proposal highlights the growing anxiety surrounding both series.
McCarthy and Tomlin's futures with their respective organizations have been under the microscope after both coaches' seasons ended on disappointing terms.
Fans of both teams appear to be dissatisfied with their respective leaders after years of not living up to expectations.
Tomlin led the Steelers to the playoffs this year, continuing to hit over .500 for 18 consecutive years, but the Steelers have lost six straight in the playoffs and haven't won in the postseason since the 2016 season, when they lost 28-14. Not yet. Ravens Saturday night.
The Steelers reportedly plan to keep Tomlin.
“I can't get over watching the Baltimore Ravens beat the Pittsburgh Steelers last night. The Steelers have now lost five in a row, which is unprecedented,” said former Steelers quarterback Terry. Bradshaw said on FOX on Sunday. “The defense was terrible, couldn't stop the run, couldn't stop the pass, couldn't do anything last night. Honestly, Jimmy, I'm going to go to you, you can't lose a playoff game. We can’t — this doesn’t look at all like the Steelers teams we’ve seen.”
Meanwhile, Dallas hasn't appeared in a conference title game or Super Bowl since 1996, and McCarthy oversaw a 7-10 season this year, along with last year's playoff failure against the Packers.
This season is the final year of McCarthy's contract, so it's certainly possible that Dallas could move on, but there seems to be some optimism about the union's continued existence.
Former Giants star Michael Strahan pointed out that Dallas' plight is not in the same class as Pittsburgh's.
“The only problem is, as you said, they're both bad, but one continues to make the playoffs and the other doesn't,” Strahan said. “It's not old. People are having more success.”
Both teams enter the offseason with a lot of questions, with Pittsburgh unsure of its quarterback after Russell Wilson's play deteriorated late in the game and Dallas facing a loaded workload. Locked in a top-heavy roster that appears to have taken a major step back in the high NFC.
