Soundbite king: Mike Tomlin is back at it again with this Steelers-Brandon Aiyuk take

There is a life beyond coaching on the sidelines in Mike Tomlin's future. While 9-8 can keep him in charge of the Pittsburgh Steelers' football operation for the time being in perpetuity, he has always had a gift for the gab. Always incredible in front of the microphone, Tomlin struck comedic gold once again when answering a question about the Brandon Aiyuk trade while on local sports talk radio.

There have been discussions between the Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers in trying to acquire the talented, but frustrated wide receiver. Pittsburgh rarely does business with wideouts outside of taking them themselves in the NFL Draft, but Aiyuk could be the exception. Either way, Tomlin was never going to divulge any information on the matter, even if he had some delicious intel or whatnot.

In typical Tomlin fashion, he answered the question about if there were any early morning phone calls coming from San Francisco about a possible trade involving Aiyuk. Tomlin never disappoints in these.

"It's a little early on the west side right now, so probably not."

These are the type of soundbites that leads everyone to believe Tomlin will crush it over on TV.

Mike Tomlin remains the king of the soundbite with his Brandon Aiyuk bit

While I am sure a coach like Tomlin would love to have as talented of a player like Aiyuk on his team, but with it being so late into the offseason, every passing second counts. This NFL offseason has been defined by Aiyuk's wishes to get a new contract from preferably somebody other than the 49ers. It has been beyond exhausting, but at least it was a distraction from another Summer of Dak.

Even though I have the Steelers as a serious playoff contender for this season, I remain skeptical that improving the receiving corps by acquiring one notable pass-catcher is going to make all the difference in the world for Pittsburgh. I saw an Arthur Smith offense run firsthand for three seasons, and that did a number on me. Get ready for so many double-reverse end-arounds for the tight ends.

Overall, I do appreciate Tomlin's ability to keep it light every so often. Football is a tough business, as only the tough survive. Tomlin may know how to win more games than he loses, but he has proven to be quite the players' coach over the years. He may only have one Super Bowl championship to his name, but he has been on the job in Pittsburgh for the better part of 20 years now. So let that sink in.

Aiyuk may eventually be traded, but we should expect one more elite Tomlin soundbite this season.