The Steelers wrapped up their minicamp for the 2025 season Thursday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex and head coach Mike Tomlin and his staff won't see their players again until they report to Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., for training camp July 23.
Tomlin's message to his players before they head off for five weeks of time on their own was a simple one.
"This was a football-like environment," Tomlin said Thursday. "When we get to Latrobe, it's going to be a football environment. And so there's a difference. We respect that this work has been good, but we measure the quality of this work, of how it tees us up for the real football journey that awaits."
With a roster than includes what figures to be filled with new starters at a number of key positions, that message was important to drive things home, not just for the rookie players who haven't been to Latrobe before, but for the number of new veteran players, as well.
The majority of teams in the NFL no longer go away for training camp any longer, choosing to stay at their own practice facility. But the Steelers have been going to Saint Vincent College for camp since the 1960s because they enjoy the environment it creates.
With veterans such as quarterback Aaron Rodgers, wide receiver DK Metcalf and cornerback Darius Slay, let alone the team's rookies, understanding that environment and making the most of it will be critical.
For the young players, in particular, it will be about training their bodies for the rigours of a 17-game NFL season.