The Bears recently called the Steelers to ask if they could negotiate and potentially try to trade longtime head coach Mike Tomlin, but Pittsburgh rebuffed their inquiries, league sources told ESPN.

Tomlin never held the discussion, and even if it did it was unlikely to succeed. When asked earlier this week about the idea that teams could inquire about his availability — and indeed at least one team has already done so — Tomlin responded: “Save you time.”

According to league sources, at least one other team besides the Bears has considered the idea of ​​trying to trade Tomlin in some way, only to be told that the Steelers head coach has a no-trade clause in his contract . The investigative team quickly halted its work and moved on, according to sources.

Despite interest from other teams in Tomlin, the Steelers have no interest in moving on from him, even though Pittsburgh is in its fifth straight playoff berth.

Tomlin signed a three-year contract extension last offseason, making him one of the highest-paid head coaches in the league. After 18 seasons in Pittsburgh, and despite some dissatisfaction from fans, his time there shows no signs of stopping.

"I understand the nature of what we're doing and the attention and criticism that comes with it," Tomlin said at Tuesday's season-ending news conference. "Actually, to be honest, I embrace it. I love what I do and the sense of urgency that comes with what we do.

"I'm not going to make excuses for failure. I own it, but I also feel like I'm capable, so as long as I get the chance to do that, I'm going to continue. But I certainly understand their frustration, and probably more importantly, I Share it because that’s who I am.”

But in the eyes of some sources, Chicago deserves credit for at least making this decision. The Bears recognized the type of leader and coach Tomlin was and even reached out to the Steelers in an effort to exhaust all possibilities.

Even if Tomlin isn't among them, the Bears are casting a wide net in their search for a head coach.

The Bears have completed contracts with interim head coach Thomas Brown, former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn , Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, head coaching interview with former Cowboys head coach. Mike McCarthy, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, former Commanders head coach Ron Rivera, former Stanford head coach David Shaw Shaw, former Titans and current Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.

The Bears also requested interviews with Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, Commander offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and Packers offensive coordinator Adam Sturt Navitch.

The Steelers have had just three head coaches since 1969: Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Tomlin, who turns 53 in March. Tomlin never had a losing season in Pittsburgh and is the second-winningest coach in franchise history behind Noel with a career record of 183-107-2.