USC is in the market for a new head coach after firing Clay Helton earlier this year.

Some big-name coaches have been linked to the job, including James Franklin of Penn State, Matt Campbell of Iowa State and Luke Fickell of Cincinnati.

But, what about a current NFL head coach? Former USC and NFL star QB Carson Palmer discussed USC’s job opening on the “Dan Patrick Show” on Monday:

“I’ve been talking to a bunch of folks and giving input here and there,” Palmer said. “I’ve been as involved as they want me to be. I think there are a lot of frontrunners right now, and I like where we’re sitting. We had the first hot seat open up.”

That’s when Palmer threw out an interesting name — current Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin:

“You’ve got a wild card like Mike Tomlin,” he said. “If Mike Tomlin wants out (of Pittsburgh)… At the end of the day, there is not a one guy everyone is pointing their fingers at.

Perhaps Palmer wasn’t supposed to reveal that info, though. When Dan Patrick expresses surprise, saying he hadn’t heard Tomlin’s name mentioned at USC, Palmer smiles and admits he may have made a mistake mentioning him:

“Is that the first you’ve heard of that?” Palmer asks. “Uh oh. Oops.”

We’ll see if the rumors involving Tomlin to USC intensify over the coming weeks. There’s still a long way to go in the NFL season.