The Chicago Bears relieved Matt Eberflus of his head coaching duties in November, just one day after he received considerable blame for mismanaging the clock in a 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions. 

Eberflus' nearly three-year tenure in the Windy City was marred by a flurry of last-second losses and ended with a six-game losing streak. Thomas Brown became interim head coach.

The Bears are now searching for the franchise's next head coach and have already interviewed several candidates, keeping in line with general manager Ryan Poles' previous vow to cast a wide net during the search. 

But, according to a new report from ESPN, one of the ways the team explored filling its head coaching vacancy involved the acquisition of Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin via a trade.

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The Bears recently contacted the Steelers to inquire about potentially gaining permission to speak to and possibly execute a trade for the Super Bowl-winning coach, according to the report. The Steelers rejected the request, sources told ESPN.

Conversations are not believed to have reached Tomlin, who recently responded to questions about potential trade offers from other teams with a simple message: "Save your time." Tomlin's contract reportedly includes a no-trade clause.

STEELERS' GEORGE PICKENS MAKES STUNNING REMARK AFTER PLAYOFF LOSS VS. RAVENS

The Steelers finished the regular season with a 10-7 record, which maintained Tomlin's distinction of never having a record below .500. However, the team ended its season on a four-game losing streak. 

Pittsburgh then got knocked out of the playoffs by the Baltimore Ravens in the wild-card round. It has now been eight years since the Steelers have won a playoff game.

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is believed to be one of the most sought after candidates this hiring cycle. Earlier this week, the Bears announced they interviewed Johnson. 

They also interviewed Arthur Smith, Brian Flores, Mike McCarthy, former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and several others.

Despite ending the season with a 5-12 record, Chicago's roster does have talent at key positions. The Bears' next head coach will be tasked with developing quarterback Caleb Williams, the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The coaching staff will also have the opportunity to work with wide receivers Rome Odunze and DJ Moore. 

Elsewhere, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is a two-time Pro Bowler, and Jaylon Johnson is a talented cornerback.

While the New England Patriots filled their head coaching vacancy in short order by hiring Mike Vrabel, the Bears, Jets, Saints, Jaguars and Raiders continue their respective searches.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers were eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday night in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens, 28-14.

The Steelers came alive in the third quarter with two Russell Wilson touchdown passes to make the game interesting as Ravens running back Derrick Henry ran all over the Pittsburgh defense. Outside those two touchdowns, the Steelers couldn’t generate any offense.

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Baltimore outgained Pittsburgh 464 yards to 280, with each team having nine drives in the game.

George Pickens, the Steelers wide receiver who has been very outspoken about his team’s performances in recent weeks, had one more jab for the offense.

"Yeah, I’ve seen signs of growth, for sure," Pickens said when asked about the offense, via Pro Football Talk. "From past – first year I’ve been here, just way more growth, for sure."

But did that make him optimistic for the future?

MIKE VRABEL IN NEGOTIATIONS TO BECOME NEXT PATRIOTS HEAD COACH: REPORT

"Uh, nah," he said.

He didn’t elaborate on the comments. He led the team with five catches for 87 yards and caught one of Wilson’s touchdown passes.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin put the blame on his shoulders. The loss made it six straight in the postseason.

"I’m just assessing what transpired tonight," Tomlin said. "As I told you guys earlier in the week, those are my bags, not this collective’s bags. And so my energy is on that group in there and what they were willing to give and the journey that we’ve been on this year, and certainly it came to a disappointing end tonight."

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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens’ regular season ended with a whimper and the fans at Acrisure Stadium let him know about it on Saturday night.

Pickens had one catch on six targets for a grand total of zero yards. Pittsburgh’s offense was nowhere to be found as they fell to the Cincinnati Bengals 19-17.

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The ESPN broadcast showed Pickens getting into it with fans at the stadium. One of Pickens’ teammates had to step in and get him to focus on the game instead of those who were talking trash to him on the sideline.

Pickens didn’t speak to the media after the game. Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson expressed support for him.

"I believe in George," Wilson said, via ESPN. "Listen, everything's not always perfect for everyone. This is an imperfect game and everything else. I believe in George, I believe in who he is, the player that he is.

BENGALS' ZAC TAYLOR'S WARNING SHOT TO PLAYOFF TEAMS: 'THEY DON'T WANT US IN THIS TOURNAMENT'

"He's been a star for us all season, and he's going to be a difference-maker obviously for us in the playoffs. I'm looking forward to that and what he can do, what we can do together. And I'm not blinking on George. If anybody believes in him, I definitely do."

Pickens’ lackadaisical effort has been an underlying theme of the Steelers’ season.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin even came out and said Pickens needed to "grow up in a hurry."

A lot of focus will be on Pickens as Pittsburgh gets ready for the playoffs.

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The Baltimore Ravens clinched a playoff berth with their victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, but head coach John Harbaugh had an important message to share before he addressed the team’s success on the field. 

Speaking to reporters after the 34-17 victory, Harbaugh began with something he said was "important" to him and many people around the world. And that was to acknowledge the spirit of Christmas.

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"I read this to the team in our postgame prayer and it's this – this is Mary. Mary, the mother of God, said this when she was with Elizabeth. She said this, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.’ So, I just want to wish everybody a Merry Christmas, happy holiday season, and rejoice," he said. 

"Rejoice. Rejoice in life. Rejoice in your circumstances. Rejoice in the tough games. Rejoice in the losses. Rejoice in the wins like we’re blessed to do today as a football team, and just rejoice in the people that you love, the people that are close to you. Rejoice. We aren’t here on this Earth to worry about every little thing and spar with one another. We’re here to rejoice in one another and with one another and love one another. Let’s try to remember that this week. This is a big football week – it’s also a big life week. It’s a big spiritual week."  

The Ravens will return on a short week to play the Houston Texans on Christmas Day.

RAVENS TAKE DOWN STEELERS TO KEEP AFC NORTH RACE OPEN

The game comes after a big win over division rival Pittsburgh in what could’ve meant the Steelers clinching the division title with a win. Instead, the Steelers and Ravens are now deadlocked. 

"I feel like we've been busting our behind all season long, had ups and downs throughout this whole season, but to clinch a playoff against a great team like that, that's great," quarterback Lamar Jackson said. "That means we're moving in the right direction."

Jackson improved to 2-4 against the Steelers as a starter and recorded his NFL-leading 37th touchdown. 

The Steelers will also play Christmas day against the Kansas City Chiefs. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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