The Pittsburgh Steelers theoretically went all in for the 2025 season, pushing some chips in when it came to adding big names to try and get over the hump in the playoffs.

Though they still maintained plenty of financial flexibility and played the compensatory draft picks game well, setting them up nicely for the 2026 NFL Draft, the Steelers bought in big-name players like Aaron Rodgers, Jalen Ramsey, Jonnu Smith and DK Metcalf to give their core group a shot at winning.

It hasn’t gone according to plan as the Steelers are 6-6 on the season. Though they’re tied atop the AFC North with a massive Week 14 game on the road against the Baltimore Ravens looming, things are simply not good right now for the Black and Gold.

There were plenty of boos last Sunday against the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium, including chants to fire head coach Mike Tomlin. Fans even booed the playing of Renegade. It’s led to plenty of talk about the Steelers’ future, centering on Tomlin. But others on the roster could be changing scenery.

According to the Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, it’s not far-fetched to think the Steelers could move on from team captain Cameron Heyward and standout pass rusher T.J. Watt this offseason.

For Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, who appeared on The Herd with Colin Cowherd Wednesday, he senses some “tension” within the building due to players knowing there’s a reset coming.

“That’s natural just based on the age of the players and the roster,” Breer said of the Steelers, according to audio via FS1. “You look at the guys they built around now and the guys that are the highest-paid guys there. You’re talking about Jalen Ramsey in his 30s, T.J. Watt in his 30s, Aaron Rodgers in his 40s. Cam Heyward has been there forever. And I actually didn’t mind the addition of Aaron Rodgers because it was sort of the last shot for this core of players that’s been there for the last five, six, seven years.

“This was just ahead of where you would naturally reset. And when you do get to that point, when it is time to reset, that’s when you start to ask the big-picture questions. That’s when the Steelers have to ask, do we want Mike Tomlin leading the rebuild here?”

With outside speculation about Tomlin’s future and former players even stating he should move on to another job, it’s possible it has led to some tension and frustration behind the scenes in Pittsburgh.

Of course, guys like Heyward and Watt have stated how they’re not happy not only with their own play but the overall play of the defense. Heyward said after the loss to the Bills that he’s worried about this team. That makes sense, considering the team has collapsed, losing five of its last seven games.

Watt and Rodgers have preached players needing to take accountability, and that’s raised some eyebrows, too.

It made sense that the Steelers added big names to try and give their core a chance to win late in the competitive window. But it also set up the likelihood that change was ultimately coming. The players are aging, their effectiveness is dwindling, and the game is changing.

Breer compares it to the Philadelphia Eagles in the early 2010s under Andy Reid. Though Reid’s final season with the Eagles was an abject disaster as Philadelphia went 4-12. Things went well after that for both parties as Reid landed with the Kansas City Chiefs and has gone on to win three Super Bowls and appear in five, while the Eagles have gone to three Super Bowls and won two since firing Reid.

It’s very unlikely the Steelers fire Tomlin. There could be a mutual parting of ways, and it could be a good thing. Sometimes it’s just time. The Steelers seem to be closing in on that, not only with Tomlin but with key figures on the roster, too.