Wednesday’s “First Call” reveals efforts by many of Mike Tomlin’s former players to lend their support to him in the wake of his decision to step down as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
A former Penn State and WPIAL standout is linked to the Steelers in free agency. An ex-Steelers coach is heading to Las Vegas. A former Steelers pass catcher is retiring.
And Blackhawk’s Archie Miller just pulled off a major upset in the Atlantic 10 while coaching his Rhode Island Rams.
Showing support
Former Steelers wide receiver Nate Washington was on “The Bullseye Podcast” with retired Tennessee Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck. They were teammates in Nashville after Washington left the Steelers at the end of the 2008 season.
Bulluck asked Washington about his experience playing for Tomlin and his thoughts on Tomlin’s resignation.
“We just had a Zoom call with Mike T., with over 70 people, just to say thank you to Mike T., all individually. We sat on that phone for two hours almost,” Washington said 27 minutes into the podcast. “So that’s not only the type of culture the Steelers have, but the man Mike T. was. He touched a lot of lives, not just young guys, but older guys as well. He’s a very inspirational person, very motivational words that he’s always given to people.”
Washington praised Tomlin’s abilities as a communicator.
“I think he understands the sense of urgency to aspire to be better in our lives as individuals, not just football players, but men at home and to our kids and all those types of things,” Washington continued. “I think he understands (the) mistakes we made, but you have to continue to get better. And that’s one of the great things about who he is.”
Tomlin made a rare public appearance since his resignation as the Steelers head coach. On Tuesday, he showed up at a North Carolina Central basketball game coached by LeVelle Moton. He is a close friend of Tomlin’s, and Tomlin has donated to the team in the past.
Offseason updates
The Las Vegas Raiders are hiring Zach Azzanni. The former Steelers wide receivers coach is heading there to hold that same title with the Silver and Black.
The 49-year-old Central Michigan product is joining Klint Kubiak’s staff after a two-year stint in Pittsburgh. The two worked together for a year in Denver back in 2022.
The Raiders will be hiring former Steelers WR coach Zach Azzani as their next WR coach.
— Raiders Report Mitchell Renz (@MitchellRenz365) February 18, 2026
He worked with Klint Kubiak in 2022 pic.twitter.com/yeUgUuNz5W
As for one of Azzanni’s former players, Robert Woods is retiring. The 33-year-old veteran was released Aug. 26 by the Steelers after he couldn’t make the roster out of training camp. He was re-signed to the practice squad the next day, but eventually asked for his release on Sept. 2, and it was granted.
On Tuesday, Woods signed a one-day contract with the Los Angeles Rams with the intent to retire as a member of that franchise. The 13-year vet also played in Buffalo, Tennessee and Houston. He won a Super Bowl with the Rams in 2021.
Woods finishes his career with 683 catches, 8,233 yards and 94 touchdowns.
Bring back Brisker
ESPN.com posted a “Match Game” type of column on Tuesday, pairing the top 50 NFL free agents with the teams that would be their best landing spots.
Writer Matt Bowen tied the Steelers to Bears safety Jaquan Brisker.
“In Pittsburgh, Brisker would replace Kyle Dugger under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. Brisker can play over the top in Cover 2, and he would be a disruptive box defender in (Patrick) Graham’s single-high schemes,” Bowen said. “In four seasons with the Bears, Brisker had four interceptions, seven sacks and 14 pass breakups. The Steelers could also target a cornerback in free agency as they try to clean up the secondary.”
Brisker is a product of Penn State and Gateway High School. He went to Chicago in the second round of the 2022 draft. Bowen rated him as the No. 44 overall free agent.
As far as current Steelers hitting the market, Bowen places guard Isaac Seumalo in San Francisco and running back Kenneth Gainwell in New Orleans.
A+ for Archie
Archie Miller’s Rhode Island Rams just pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the college basketball season.
The Beaver Falls native coached his team to an 81-76 victory over No. 18 Saint Louis. This was the first Atlantic 10 loss for the Billikens (25-2, 12-1). Jonah Hinton exploded with 29 points for the Rams, who improved to 6-7 in conference play and 15-11 overall.
Rhody was a 9.5-point underdog at home. Their student section rushed the court after the upset.
RHODE ISLAND STUNS #18 SAINT LOUIS ???? @RHODYMBB PULLS OFF THE UPSET 81-76 ????
— A10 Talk (@A10Talk) February 18, 2026
RAMS STORM THE COURT pic.twitter.com/nFwvadq5Qg
The Billikens had been flirting with their first conference loss for a while. They nearly blew a 17-point second-half lead against Duquesne in Pittsburgh before winning 81-77 on Jan. 20.
A week later, SLU also needed a Robbie Avila three-pointer with three seconds left to avoid overtime against George Washington, 79-76.
Listen: Tim Benz and Brian Metzer talk Olympic Hockey in this week’s hockey podcast
