Mike Tomlin gives hilarious response on infamous 'never say never, but never' quote

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is known to deliver a quality quote from time to time. He may have had one of his best yet this past season when addressing rumors linking him to the open job at USC.

Asked about the possibility of leaving the pros to take over a prestigious college program, Tomlin quickly put the idea to rest five simple words: “Never say never, but never.” Now months removed from the moment and still happily employed by the Steelers, the coach joined the Rich Eisen Show on Wednesday where he provided more context to that response.

“It kind of came to me,” he said. “I probably shouldn’t have been as annoyed as I was, but it was game week. I get singularly focused on real challenges, man. I was just annoyed by the line of questioning. …I didn’t want a follow up question, so mission accomplished.”

At the time of the speculation USC had recently fired coach Clay Helton just two games into the 2021 season. Numerous different names were being thrown around by media and fans, and the idea of landing a coach with Tomlin’s track record intriguing. But it no more than a fantasy for Trojans fans, as the Steelers coach made it clear he has no intentions of leaving the NFL.

“I don’t have time for that speculation,” Mike Tomlin said emphatically in the full quote. That’s a joke to me. I’ve got of one of the best jobs in all of professional sports. Why would I have any interest in coaching college football? …There’s not a booster with a big enough blank check.”

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin swiftly rejects any speculation he’d be a candidate for the USC job. “Never say next, but never.” pic.twitter.com/EiP1spB4jc

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 26, 2021

USC eventually hired Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma, a move that nobody saw coming. The former Sooners coach has since retooled the roster through the transfer portal, and there is a buzz around the program entering his first season. The thought of Tomlin on the Trojans sidelines is now nothing more than a distant memory.

Instead, Tomlin is back in Pittsburgh for his 16th season as an NFL coach. During that time, he has won one Super Bowl while posting a 154-85-2 overall record and has never had a losing season. He loses longtime starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to retirement this offseason, but added Kenny Pickett through the first round of the draft.

As he navigates the Steelers into a new era this season, there is plenty of belief it can be just as successful as the last.