It turns out that Robert Spillane’s split with the Pittsburgh Steelers was not all that amicable. Spillane joined the Bussin With the Boys podcast and described his exit with the Steelers.
In the video, Spillane says the Steelers told him to go out and negotiate with other teams, but they would match it when he came back to them. That never ended up happening, so Spillane signed with the Raiders.
“Before I went into free agency, [the Steelers] told me, ‘Go out, test the market, see what you get. We’re gonna offer whatever they give you. We wanna make you a Steeler. We love you,’” Spillane said. “I call them, ‘I got an offer from the Raiders. I want to come back, what’s the deal?’ They were like, ‘Good luck, have fun.’”
In his three years with the Steelers, Spillane racked up 189 tackles, growing from special teams player into a legitimate role player on their defense.
Spillane landed a three-year, $37.5 million deal from the Patriots this offseason, becoming one of their key stalwarts in the middle of the defense.
Spillane earned that contract after a strong tenure with the Las Vegas Raiders as their green dot linebacker. Now, the Steelers will see Spillane once again when they head to Foxborough for that matchup in 2025.
The 28-year-old Spillane played for the Steelers from 2019 to 2022, going from a special teamer on the roster fringe to a legitimate starter. He earned a two-year, $7 million contract in the 2023 offseason and had become a key piece for the Raiders in the middle of their defense. Spillane had 91 solo tackles and led the NFL in run stops in 2024.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.