The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2026 season with an interesting storyline following the team, as the franchise's head coach of nearly two decades decided to step down following the 2025 season. Mike Tomlin made his announcement the day after the organization's season ended, and he signed with NBC Sports not long after that. He is now on the panel for Sunday Night Football, which will be coming to Acrisure Stadium in Week 13 for Pittsburgh's game against the Houston Texans. Tomlin was in Pittsburgh for so long that he obviously still has a ton of connections in the building, including with the players in the locker room.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Owner Art Rooney II (left) with former head coach Mike Tomlin (right) during the 2026 offseason.
Due to Tomlin's new role, he has to be tapped into every game that is taking place in the NFL. He is always going to be asked about his former team on the broadcast, so he probably pays close attention to the Steelers. It is known that he was watching his former team take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday in what was the first AFC North game of the season. The Steelers were able to get the win as the offense finally got on track, and the group won 30-27 after some late-game heroics from Derrick Harmon.
Cam Heyward spoke about the game during the latest episode of Not Just Football With Cam Heyward, and he shared that Tomlin reached out to him after the game was over.
"I was talking to Mike T after the game," Heyward said. "He was like, 'Man, you got blown up on field goal, get your numbers up.' I said, 'Why the h*ll am I still on this in Year 16?' He was like, 'I got to send a message to the group to show the importance of the play.'"
It has always been bizarre that Heyward has been kept on the field goal unit this late in his career. That play is like a car crash as the defenders try to take out the line to get to the ball before it reaches its apex, and he is too valuable on defense to risk him getting hurt on special teams. That plays into Tomlin's point as he always tried to show just how important that play is by keeping Heyward out there.
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Pittsburgh Steelers captain and defensive lineman Cam Heyward during 2026 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Heyward has jokingly complained about being kept on the field goal unit for years, and it is a bit surprising that he was kept on the unit with a new coaching staff coming into town. He spoke more about his conversation with Tomlin, and the coach threw a fun jab at his former player.
"This is the messed up part. He goes, 'If I was still there, I'd get you off... not,'" Heyward said. "Like that's hate right there bro, you just t'd me up."
Tomlin clearly still loves messing with his former players, and the fact that he still has conversations with them shows how much both sides appreciate that relationship. Heyward was also the longest-tenured Steeler when Tomlin decided to step down, so those two have a special relationship as they always walked off of the field after games with one another.
Steelers' Cam Heyward Should Attempt To Get Off Special Teams
Heyward is a very important part of the defense in Pittsburgh, and him still being on the field goal unit is highly controversial. Tomlin's messaging about his reason for it made sense, but he is not the head coach anymore. There are other big bodies that could replace Heyward on that play, and those changes should likely be made as soon as possible. The coaching staff would feel real dumb if a player of his caliber got hurt on a play like that, and it is probably something that should have been changed a long time ago.
What do you think about Tomlin's conversation with Heyward after the game against the Bengals? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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