The Pittsburgh Steelers were devastated to learn that long-time head coach Mike Tomlin was retiring after the 2025 season concluded with yet another blowout loss in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. It felt like there was no single person who was more upset about this piece of news than defensive captain Cameron Heyward, who had played the entirety of his 15-year career with him at that time. Those two had a special bond, but it got broken up for the desire to try something new.
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Steelers captain Cameron Heyward (left) and former head coach Mike Tomlin (right) talk to one another during a 2022 training camp practice at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
This has not been an easy transition for the 37-year-old. During a post-practice interview, Heyward spoke about the new leader running the show.
"It’s a different challenge," Heyward said. "I’ve just tried to be open to it, just try to learn. It’s not like there can only be one good coach in the league. I’ve always admired Coach McCarthy from afar. I just want to learn. I think the easiest thing to do is put your ego aside and just learn from great coaches."
New head coach Mike McCarthy has his own way of doing things, and they have definitely been very different from how Tomlin coached the team. There's been a lot of praise for how this new regime has taken over with these new, fresh ideas. The hope is that this could help the Steelers finally get over the playoff win hump.
That's been tough for Heyward to grasp onto, however. The respect that he had for Tomlin cannot be replicated for anyone else in the NFL, and he most likely won't have that same relationship with McCarthy. That doesn't mean he can just sulk and not play his hardest, since he still wants to win a Super Bowl in Pittsburgh and not go down as one of the greatest players to never get it done.
Kirby Lee / USA TODAY Sports
Former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and veteran defensive lineman Cam Heyward (#97) walk off the field after warmups prior to a professional football game on the road.
When the news first broke of McCarthy being hired, Heyward was suspiciously quiet about it for a long time. Typically, the captain of the team would be the one to rally the troops and get them excited about a new chapter, but he refused to talk about it much -- even though he has his own weekly podcast that has a primary focus on talking about Steelers football.
Eventually, Heyward finally accepted the reality that he would have to play for this new coach, even though he still does not like the idea of change at the head coach position. Obviously, he's not going to trash-talk McCarthy publicly and cause all kinds of controversy with that, but he still is learning that he has to deal with it and continue to be a role model for everyone else on the team.
Heyward has been trying to be open to the idea of having a new coach, but again, he doesn't really have a choice in the matter if he wants to keep playing. His options are to suck it up and roll with McCarthy or just retire, and he still wants to play football.
Steelers Fans Are Also Struggling With The Change
Many fans wanted a change at head coach, but not like this. The announcement of McCarthy getting the job sparked outrage among Steeler Nation. If things do not go well in his first season in Pittsburgh, everyone will let the team know about how upset they truly are.
Steelers.com
New Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy.
It will likely have to take a massive improvement to the team and a playoff win before people start believing this was a good hire.
What do you think about Heyward trying to deal with the challenge of not having Tomlin around anymore? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB, and follow us for more news!
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