Steelers' Tomlin: USC rumors 'a joke to me'

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin left his press conference Tuesday angrily after firmly squashing rumors linking him to USC's vacant head coaching job.

"I don't have time for that speculation," Tomlin said. "That's a joke to me. I got one of the best jobs in all of professional sport. Why would I have any interest in coaching college football? That will be the last time that I address it, and not only today but moving forward. Never say never - but never ... There's not a booster with a big enough blank check."

He added, "Anybody asking (New Orleans Saints head coach) Sean Payton about that? Anybody asking (Kansas City Chiefs coach) Andy Reid about stuff like that?"

The speculation stems from Carson Palmer's comments Monday on the "Dan Patrick Show." The former USC quarterback said Tomlin could be a "wild card" for the Trojans' vacancy.

"That's what's so great about the (USC) job," Palmer said. "It can lure an NFL guy that's tired of their current situation and worried about, 'Is (quarterback) Ben Roethlisberger gone? Is he done? Who are we gonna draft?' Does Mike Tomlin have to start over with a first-round, young rookie quarterback?"

Palmer also said he's been included in conversations with the Trojans since they fired Clay Helton last month, offering his input amid the school's search.

Tomlin has been the Steelers' bench boss since 2007 and is signed through the 2024 season after inking a three-year extension in April. The 49-year-old, who's the youngest head coach ever to win a Super Bowl, is 148-81-1 with Pittsburgh.

The Steelers, who are 3-3 in 2021, have yet to record a losing season under Tomlin.