Jimmy Johnson suggests Steelers, Cowboys trade Mike Tomlin, Mike McCarthy

The season ended in a brutal way for Pittsburgh Steelers after a great start. Mike TomlinThe team went 10-3 before losing their last 4 games of the regular season and then humbly going down the drain in the playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens. The Dallas Cowboys have been bad from the start like Mike McCarthy saw his team go from 2023 NFC East champions to 7-10 and never compete this season.

Unhappy fans in Pittsburgh and Dallas are calling for both head coaches to be fired, and Fox analyst Jimmy Johnson offered his thoughts on the disappointing performance of both teams this year. He believes that both teams must make moves in order to improve their performances in the future.

“I don’t have any inside information,” Johnson said. “But things were getting stale in Pittsburgh. Things were looking up in Dallas. How about changing the coach? Mike McCarthy is a Pittsburgh guy. Let it go (to the Steelers). Let Mike Tomlin go to the (Cowboys). Both franchises would be excited.”

Such a move would be unprecedented in the NFL. Neither coach has been traded for each other in the past, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be a trade. McCarthy’s contract does not include the 2025 season, while Tomlin is tied to the Steelers through 2027. Fans may be upset that the Steelers’ season ended on such a disappointing note, but owner Art Rooney II has given no indication that he intends to fire Tomlin.

The Steelers had the most stable lead in the NFL

The Steelers are the most unique organization in professional sports when it comes to the head coaching position. Pittsburgh has only had three head coaches in the last 56 years.

Chuck Noll served as head coach of the Steelers from 1969 to 1991. Bill Cowher took over the position in 1991 and remained as the team’s on-field leader until 2006. Tomlin became head coach in 2007 and has not shown that he is ready to move on after 18 years in the position.

McCarthy is also a longtime NFL head coach. He became the head coach of the Green Bay Packers in 2006 and remained with the team until 2018. After being fired by the team, Jerry Jones hired him to become the head coach of the Cowboys in 2020. The Cowboys won one playoff game in the McCarthy era.

Both teams appear to have some talented players, but the Steelers may need to improve at the cornerback position. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields showed flashes in 2024, but neither quarterback was consistent. The Cowboys saw quarterback Dak Prescott lose this season to a hamstring injury. Before the injury, Prescott was an unimpressive 3-5 as the team’s KB1 and had a mediocre 11-8 TD-to-interception ratio.

Steve Silverman has covered the NFL for more than 35 years, and his writing has appeared in ESPN Magazine, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, Pro Football Weekly and Forbes.com. He has written 10 books, including “Who’s Better, Who’s the Best in the NFL.”