The season ended in brutal fashion for the Pittsburgh Steelers after an excellent start. Mike Tomlin's team rocketed off to a 10-3 start before losing their last 4 regular season games and then going meekly down the drain in the playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens. The Dallas Cowboys were bad from the start as Mike McCarthy saw his team go from NFC East champions in 2023 to 7-10 and never in contention this season.
Unhappy fans in Pittsburgh and Dallas are calling for the ouster of both head coaches, and Fox analyst Jimmy Johnson offered his opinion on the disappointing performance of both teams this year. He believes that both teams need to make moves in order to lift their performances in the future.
“I don't have any inside information,” Johnson said. “But things are stale in Pittsburgh. Things are stale in Dallas. How about a coaching swap? Mike McCarthy is a Pittsburgh guy. Let him 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. No coaches have been traded for each other in the past, but it wouldn't necessarily have to be a trade. McCarthy's contract does not include the 2025 season, while Tomlin is tied to the Steelers through the 2027 season. Fans may be upset that the Steelers season ended in such disappointing fashion, but owner Art Rooney II has not given any hints that he intends to fire Tomlin.
Steelers have had the steadiest leadership in the NFL

The Steelers are the most unique organization in professional sports when it comes to the position of head coach. Pittsburgh has had just three head coaches in the last 56 years.
Chuck Noll served as the Steelers head coach from 1969 through 1991. Bill Cowher took over the position in 1991 and remained as the team's on-field leader through 2006. Tomlin became the head coach in 2007 and has not indicated that he is ready to move on after 18 years in the position.
McCarthy is also a long-time NFL head coach. He became the head coach of the Green Bay Packers in 2006 and stayed with the team through 2018. After he was dismissed by the team, Jerry Jones hired him to become the Cowboys head coach in 2020. The Cowboys have won one playoff game in the McCarthy era.
Both teams appear to have some talented players, but the Steelers may need to upgrade at the quarterback position. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields showed flashes in 2024, but neither quarterback was consistent. The Cowboys saw quarterback Dak Prescott go down with a hamstring injury this season. Prior to the injury, Prescott was unimpressive with a 3-5 record as the team's QB1 and he had an ordinary 11-8 TD-interception ratio.