Free agent tight end Eric Ebron agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, surprising the Indianapolis Colts crowd for there was no legitimate offer on the table from the AFC South franchise.

The Athletic's Bob Kravitz explained why the Colts did not pursue the 26-year-old Ebron, who appeared in just 11 games during the 2019 season, speaking to 93.7 The Fan (via CBS Sports):

“I'm sure the Steelers did their due diligence, but the reason the Colts let him go is because they felt he quit on them this season,” Kravitz said. “He had, I think it was an ankle, that the team wasn't even aware was an issue and then all of the sudden he said, ‘That's it, I'm shutting it down.' I remember asking Chris Ballard the GM, ‘What are you going to do with Eric Ebron?' and he looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘Yeah, we're done with him. We're moving on.' So, if you get him in the right frame of mind, he's a very productive guy. But he's a little bit mercurial I guess is the word I would use.”

It sounds like Ebron and the Colts no longer saw eye to eye in what amounted to a disappointing season for Indianapolis in the sudden aftermath of franchise quarterback Andrew Luck's retirement last August.

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GM Chris Ballard in the middle, Brock Bowers, TJ Tampa, Jermaine Burton around him, and Indianapolis Colts in the background.

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As veteran Jacoby Brissett took the reins of the Colts' offense again, Ebron was checking out, putting up half of his productivity this past season than in his first year with Indy.

After appearing in every game in 2018, Ebron, a first-time Pro Bowl selection that year, then caught 31 passes for just 37 receiving yards in 2019.