Mike Tomlin has never experienced a losing season in the 14 seasons he has been the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach. So picking in the top-5 of an NFL Draft without a trade is foreign to him. Thus, he has to marvel at sure-fire talent from afar.
During Monday’s game against the Washington Football Team, Tomlin showed his admiration for Washington’s star rookie defensive end Chase Young. That led to a hilarious exchange between the Steelers coach and Young.
“I don’t ever want to lose enough games to get a guy like you,” Tomlin joked to Young. “You know what I mean… ‘Cause you gotta lose 14, 15 games to get a guy like you.”
Washington loves Young. He has solidified their stacked defensive line. However, selecting him second overall in the 2020 NFL Draft came at a price. Last season, Washington lost 13 games and had the second-worst record in the NFL.
The disappointing season led to an organization overhaul. Washington fired head coach Jay Gruden and longtime team president Bruce Allen. Ultimately, they hired Ron Rivera as their head coach and Jason Wright as the team’s president.
Meanwhile, Tomlin has been one of the more tenured head coaches in recent years because of his success. During his time in Pittsburgh he has one Super Bowl championship in two appearances, eight playoff appearances and zero losing seasons. It’s clear, he wouldn’t want to trade his success to be in position to draft a talent like Young.
