Bold trade for a Super Bowl–winning head coach may be the clean solution the Bills need after a confusing search
Mike Tomlin to Buffalo? Never say never.
Mike Tomlin to Buffalo, who says no?
The Buffalo Bills are in the thick of it when it comes to their head coaching search. Sean McDermott was let go, followed by a disastrous press conference, and now the team has been busy conducting interviews for the recent vacancy. With so many options, we wanted to pose a wild one for you: Mike Tomlin potentially getting traded to the Bills for a swap of seventh-round picks in 2026.
Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers swap picks for head coach Mike Tomlin
The Steelers have 12 selections in the upcoming draft while the Bills hold seven, according to Tankathon. Buffalo could send its seventh-round pick over to the Steelers in exchange for Pittsburgh’s seventh-round pick and Tomlin’s rights. He won’t go back to Pittsburgh, but this way, they can bump up slightly in the seventh round and give up a coach that isn’t coming back.
As Tomlin had stepped down, a trade would need to take place for Tomlin to come to Buffalo.
Remember back in 2019 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded for head coach Bruce Arians. Arians had spent five seasons as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals before announcing his retirement following the 2017 season. It was short-lived, as the Bucs wanted Arians back in 2019, but the Cardinals had an issue with it.
The NFL initially ruled that no compensation was needed for the Bucs to hire Arians, but the Cardinals claimed they still held the rights since he had not been fired. What transpired was the Bucs sending a 2019 sixth-round pick to the Cardinals in exchange for a 2019 seventh and Arians.
We’re just going to ignore the more recent comparison of the Denver Broncos trading for a head coach. In 2023, the Broncos had to give up quite a bit to get Sean Payton. The Saints got a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick for Payton, giving up a third-round pick in the deal. The Broncos are now one game away from the Super Bowl, just a few years later, so it certainly was not a bad trade.
Cons of Tomlin coming to Buffalo
I want to preface all of this by saying that I don’t think Tomlin should come to Buffalo. I don’t think he’s the guy. He’s had a decorated career, and it could be a good option, but I just don’t see it or want it. Once the championship round is finished, we’ll get a better picture of who the team is targeting.
Put simply, I just think there are better options out there.
Klint Kubiak, the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, is currently at the top of my list. Another that’s been gaining steam is Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski.
The team could even look to some familiar faces and pals of quarterback Josh Allen, with Denver Broncos offensive pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Davis Webb, paired in some capacity with former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll. I prefer all of those options a lot more than a Tomlin trade.
I want an offensive-minded head coach to pair with Allen, the best player on the planet.
While it’s not all on Tomlin, the seven consecutive playoff losses are a bad mark as well.
Pros of Tomlin coming to Buffalo
Tomlin is a proven winner in the league and could be an option for Buffalo that would quickly end the hunt for a new head coach.
He’s been with the Steelers for 19 seasons, never having a losing record, going 309-193. It’s quite an incredible accomplishment, despite how his time in Pittsburgh has gone.
While he’s defensive-minded, he could also help Allen continue to dominate in this league. Tomlin has worked with a handful of eventual Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers, and could benefit Allen at the position.
Oh, and the whole winning the Super Bowl thing is intriguing. Winning the big game is something Bills Mafia has waited generations for, and Tomlin has experience if the Bills do make it all the way through the postseason. Finally, he’d be cheap. If Buffalo was interested and really thought that Tomlin was their guy, a seventh-round swap would be easy as pie.
It may not be the route Buffalo takes, or even one it seriously considers. But in a search filled with questions and options, the move would certainly offer instant clarity if nothing else.
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