Steelers Bringing In Greatest Coach Of All-Time Bill Belichick As Consultant Should Be On Mike Tomlin's To-Do List

The Pittsburgh Steelers are working towards putting together a championship roster after years of mediocrity under Head Coach Mike Tomlin. The organization hasn't won a playoff game since the 2016 season and many are confident that the long-time coach's style has gone stale. The 2024 offseason has seen a complete revamp of the league's most important position in quarterback, as well as the largest free agent contract in franchise history. The hire of Arthur Smith as the official replacement for Matt Canada is also an extremely notable move. The team is doing everything to put Tomlin in a position to win sooner rather than later.

With both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields expected to be under contract only through 2024 (assuming Fields' fifth-year option is not accepted), the near-future is somewhat unknown. One could make the argument that the organization is making an "all-in" type play for 2024, despite no long-term solution across the board. That trend would continue if they shocked the NFL with the hiring of a new staff member.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk published a piece on Thursday with the idea of former New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick joining a franchise late in the game after he didn't have many suitors for a new head coaching role. Arguably one of the greatest minds in the game's history, the new kickoff rules present an interesting challenge, and Florio wants to see someone bring in Belichick to be a consultant.

"Of all people currently on the planet, Belichick is the one who would surely have the most ideas and opinions and possibilities for how to handle the new kickoff. It would be malpractice, frankly, to not try to get his input on how to best handle what fundamentally is an experiment for 2024."

Florio didn't necessarily imply that a team should bring in the legend for the entirety of the 2024 season. He even hinted at bringing Belichick in secretly and passing his ideas on to the head coach. This would prevent any egos from getting in the way. Overall, Belichick is available and it's hard to imagine him staying away from the game of football.

In only a way Florio could, he suggested Belichick bounce from team to team, collect paychecks and pass along his ideas to several different organizations. There aren't necessarily any rules against this.

"Plenty of unattached coaches and personnel executives do plenty of consulting for teams. As best we can tell, the rules are there ain’t no rules. He could, in theory, make plenty of money by going from team to team to share his thoughts on what can or should be done when kicking the ball or receiving the kick," Florio wrote.

In a perfect world, it doesn't make a ton of sense to lure Belichick in for a one-time meeting and allow him to head elsewhere with similar ideas. The Steelers could find it as an attractive option to bring him in as some kind of consultant or senior assistant. His style and overall approach to the game, however, is nowhere near similar to Tomlin and that fact could present tons of issues internally.

The bottom line is that the best coach in the NFL's history is sitting there available. If he is willing to take a diminished role in the interim while he waits for the next coaching cycle, there is almost zero downside to have him in your building. It wouldn't be a normal Steelers move, but much has changed since General Manager Omar Khan took over the front office.

Steelers Need To Operate Differently Than In Years Past To Be A Threat Again

A partnership with Belichick would be more than just his special teams knowledge. The new kickoff rule will present challenges for many, but the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach could provide insight in every single area possible. Pittsburgh needs to mix things up to turn things around completely. What better way to do it than discuss bringing in the single greatest head coach in the history of professional football?

Would you welcome Belichick in Pittsburgh?