The Pittsburgh Steelers have high hopes for DB Jalen Ramsey this season, but the new coaching staff reportedly almost didn’t get a chance to work with him. Appearing on The Pomp & Joe Show on 93.7 The Fan, Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show said he believes that Mike McCarthy had to convince Ramsey to return for 2026.
“I don’t know if he wanted to be here this year, I think they talked him into coming back this year,” Kaboly said. “I think the [Mike] Tomlin stuff, he was a little bit still in the same Aaron Rodgers boat where ‘I’m not sure [what] I want to do.’ But I think McCarthy talked to him and was able to get him back on board.
Whether or not Ramsey wanted to come back, he was still under contract, so the decision wasn’t solely his. He could’ve requested a trade or threatened retirement, but at the end of the day, the Steelers had control in the situation.
It makes sense if Ramsey considered following Tomlin out the door. The two of them have a longstanding relationship, and Ramsey may have initially thought it would be best for him to play elsewhere. Last season, he started the season as Pittsburgh’s No. 1 cornerback before moving to safety after some struggles, and a change of scenery could have appealed to him.
But McCarthy apparently allayed any doubts he may have had about returning for a second season in Pittsburgh, just as his hiring did for Rodgers. And in Ramsey the Steelers get back a player back Kaboly believes is going to be one of the most important pieces to the team’s success.
“I think he’s one of the keys to this team this year. He plays extremely well,” Kaboly said. “He can play four, five different positions. I think they turn into a top-five, top-10 defense.”
Tomlin’s resignation was a shock to a locker room that had a lot of guys who had only played under him during their career. While Ramsey’s not one of those guys, it still led him to potentially consider whether his future should be in Pittsburgh.
Now that he’s back, he’ll be regarded as a leader in the secondary and a versatile piece in Patrick Graham’s defense. The Steelers added help around him with the additions of Jaquan Brisker and Jamel Dean, as well as rookie Daylen Everette. Ramsey was solid last season, but he could have a bigger hand this year in helping the Steelers compete as a leader now that he’s in his second year.
But coming back was a decision that wasn’t taken lightly.
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