Steelers' Mike McCarthy Embracing Massive Leadership Roles From His Players Amidst Coaching Transition

The Pittsburgh Steelers have overseen a ton of changes throughout the 2026 offseason. There have been the natural changes on the roster that occur every offseason for every team, but the franchise also had to go through some massive coaching changes for the first time since 2007. Former head coach Mike Tomlin announced the day after his team got embarrassed in the playoffs that he would be stepping down from his role. That sparked a search for a new head coach by the organization. The franchise interviewed several candidates and settled on Mike McCarthy, and he has already been changing things up from the way Tomlin did things.

One of the things Tomlin was known for throughout his time as the head coach in Pittsburgh was running a physical practice in training camp. The Steelers were consistently one of the few teams that were actually bringing one another to the ground and hitting hard on the practice field, and that probably helped sometimes. However, it also broke players down quicker. McCarthy wants to keep his guys fresh, so his practices are going to be less physical and they will not feature live tackling. 

Something that is staying the same between the two different staffs is the idea of a player council. Tomlin's teams had captains just as every NFL team does, and those players were responsible for setting the tone and keeping things in order in the locker room. He also had a play council. McCarthy will do the same. He introduced this while speaking to the media on Tuesday when he was asked about Aaron Rodgers' appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.

"We have a good locker room," McCarthy said. "We have a player council that's in place, we had our second meeting yesterday. I think we're in a good spot."

McCarthy has introduced a player council, which is something that Tomlin also had in place throughout his tenure. Both councils could act in the same way, but it is unclear what the exact role of the council might be. It could just be managing the relationships that exist within a locker room and making sure that everything is on track.

It should be fairly easy to assume who the players are that might make up this player council. Rodgers, Cam Heyward, and TJ Watt are the obvious choices. Pat Freiermuth is probably included as well as the offense's longest-tenured starter. Other veterans who could be in the mix include Jalen Ramsey, Patrick Queen, or even an offensive lineman like Zach Frazier who has made a name for himself in Pittsburgh. It is unclear what the group does on a day-to-day basis, but it seems like an important part of a team that is being run under McCarthy.

Steelers Have Always Valued Players In The Locker Room

The franchise has always relied on players to lead the way in the locker room, which is the case for most successful teams in the NFL. Back when the Steelers were winning playoff games during the 2000s and early 2010s, players held one another accountable. Coaches didn't need to get involved as the veterans, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, held things together in the locker room. It sounds like this player council is in charge of doing something similar, and the group meets with McCarthy and the staff. The team captains for the 2026 season will probably come from here.

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