The Pittsburgh Steelers are officially ready for the 2026 season. Just days after the New England Patriots saw their championship dreams dashed in a 29-13 Super Bowl LX loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the Steelers decided to dip into the New England coaching pool to finalize their own staff.
On Thursday, the Steelers announced the hiring of Robert Kugler as the team’s new tight ends coach. Robert Kugler, who spent the last two seasons as an assistant offensive line coach for the New England Patriots, is no stranger to the Steel City. His father, Sean Kugler, served as the Steelers’ offensive line coach from 2010 to 2012, and Robert himself played high school ball at nearby North Allegheny.
The move officially rounds out Head Coach Mike McCarthy’s staff for the upcoming year. For the Patriots, losing a bright young assistant like Kugler adds a bit more sting to a week that already included watching Sam Darnold and the Seahawks hoist the Lombardi Trophy at Levi’s Stadium.
In that Super Bowl matchup, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye fought hard, completing 27-of-43 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns, but the relentless Seattle pass rush, which sacked him six times, proved to be too much.
Now, Robert Kugler trades the sideline of a Super Bowl runner-up for a homecoming in Pittsburgh. He joins an offensive staff led by coordinator Brian Angelichio, where he will be tasked with maximizing a tight end room that features Pat Freiermuth. While Kugler has spent his recent NFL years focusing on the trenches with the Patriots, the Houston Texans, and the Carolina Panthers, he actually played tight end during his early college years at Purdue University before moving to center.
With Robert Kugler on board and the 21-person assistant staff finalized, the Steelers are clearly looking to build on a defensive identity that helped them beat those very same Patriots 21-14 earlier in the 2025 regular season. On that day, the Steelers’ defense forced five turnovers, a blueprint they hope to replicate under the new Mike McCarthy era.
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