The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering a new era. After 19 seasons with Mike Tomlin at the helm, he decided it was time to hang up his headset after the 2025 season, marking a rare shift in leadership for one of the NFL’s most stable franchises. Now Mike McCarthy steps in as the fourth head coach since the 1969 season, ushering in a 2026 campaign filled with excitement, uncertainty, and plenty of storylines in Pittsburgh.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers Head Coach Mike McCarthy looks out toward the media during his opening press conference on Tuesday, January 27, 2026 which was held at Acrisure Stadium.
While fans look ahead, attention has also turned back to Tomlin’s legacy, especially his reputation as one of the league’s most respected leaders and recruiters. Players across the NFL often praised his ability to connect, motivate, and bring free agents into the fold. One of those players was former NFL tight end Eric Ebron.
Ebron was coming off a Pro Bowl season in 2018 with the Indianapolis Colts, where he posted 66 receptions, 750 receiving yards, and 13 touchdowns. But after injuries and a reduced role the following year, his future in Indianapolis became uncertain. During the 2020 offseason, Ebron signed with the Steelers, where he would finish his career playing in 2020 and 2021 before retiring. Recently on Cam Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast, Ebron detailed the hilarious phone call he received from Tomlin during free agency.
"I had just gotten out of a very bad relationship with Indy," Ebron said while speaking to Heyward. "I believed I deserved a new contract after I just scored 15 touchdowns and helped take us to the playoffs. Then we never saw eye to eye, so Mike Tomlin calls me right away."
According to Ebron, Tomlin had spoken with contacts inside the Colts organization and did not like what he heard. In typical blunt fashion, Tomlin told him that the people in Indianapolis hated him before immediately making his pitch to bring him to Pittsburgh.
Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers
Former Steelers tight end Eric Ebron walks off the field during a road game against the Buffalo Bills in 2021.
That call ended with a two-year deal worth $12 million and Ebron heading straight to the Steelers.
"Mike T calls me and goes, 'What the fu** are you doing in Indy?' Those were his exact words verbatim," Ebron said. "I was like, what are you talking about? He goes, 'Man, that dude up there does not like your guts.' I go, 'No sh**, I probably wouldn’t like me either.' Then he says, 'This is what I am gonna do for you, two years, come to Pittsburgh, we got you.' I was like, I’m going to Pittsburgh. It was that simple. Just the way he approaches, the way he talks to you as a person and not as a player. That took me straight to Pittsburgh."
During the Steelers’ historic 11-0 start in the 2020 season, Ebron played a key role in the team’s success, developing strong chemistry with veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He finished the season with 56 receptions, 558 receiving yards, and 5 touchdowns.
Steelers Drafted Pat Freiermuth And Moved On From Ebron
However, the Steelers selected tight end Pat Freiermuth in the 2021 NFL Draft, which effectively marked the beginning of the end of Ebron’s time in Pittsburgh.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth smiles during a training camp session in Latrobe, PA.
In reality, Tomlin and the Steelers viewed Ebron as a short-term solution, a final effort to give Roethlisberger another reliable weapon as he entered the final stretch of his NFL career.
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