One day after it was suggested that Mike Tomlin could be among the top candidates to be hired by USC, the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach shot down those rumors.

Tomlin didn’t mince words Tuesday, declaring that he won’t leave the NFL to coach the Trojans.

“I don’t have time for that speculation,” Tomlin said, via NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala.

“That’s a joke to me. I got one of the best jobs in all of professional sports. Why would I have any interest in coaching college football?

“Never say never. But never.”

Former USC quarterback Carson Palmer said on “The Dan Patrick Show” Monday that Tomlin would be a candidate for the job if he wants out of Pittsburgh. Tomlin, however, made it clear that there’s no chance he’ll decide to leave the Steelers for any college football gig.

“There's not a booster with a big enough blank check,” Tomlin declared. “Anybody asking Sean Payton about that? Anybody asking Andy Reid about stuff like that?”

Tomlin has been Pittsburgh’s head coach since the 2007 season. The Steelers have made two Super Bowl appearances and won a championship under Tomlin. The Steelers have never finished below .500 with Tomlin at the helm.

Pittsburgh is 3-3 entering Week 8 of the NFL season.

USC fired head coach Clay Helton earlier this season after the team was upset by Stanford.

Palmer named Penn State coach James Franklin, Iowa State’s Matt Campbell and Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell as candidates to become the next USC coach.

Mike Tomlin Pittsburgh Steelers Ben Roethlisberger
Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers talks with Ben Roethlisberger #7 during the game against the Houston Texans at Heinz Field on Sept. 27, 2020, in Pittsburgh. Joe Sargent/Getty Images
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