Cam Heyward drew national headlines for his Aaron Rodgers comments, effectively declining a recruiting pitch and telling Rodgers to make up his mind. Either become a Steeler or not. As the wait drags into the second week of free agency and as the Pittsburgh Steelers go even longer without a quarterback, Heyward’s comments were honest and refreshing. But not everyone is in lockstep with his mindset, including Good Morning Football’s Kyle Brandt.
“I like Cam, I like what Cam stands for,” Brandt said on the show Wednesday. “I think in most eras of Steelers football, I would agree. We’re the Steelers, it’s an honor to join us. Like the Packers. So honor and accept the invitation or GTFO. But not in this era. This era for the Steelers is the ‘we can’t find a quarterback and our coach can’t find the divisional round era.’
“Cam says he’s not going on a darkness retreat. He’s already on one. Cam has not won a playoff game since 2017. He and his whole team has been on a darkness retreat for eight years.”
Strong words from Brandt and at their core, an accurate assessment. The only glaring omission from Heyward’s Hall of Fame resume is a lack of playoff success. He has just one playoff win in 14 years, excluding the team’s 2016 season victory in which Heyward was injured and did not play. He’s never played in an AFC Championship Game. He’s never come close to the Super Bowl.
Problems that aren’t his fault but certainly leave a void, especially compared to Steelers greats who became part of dynasties. With only two years left in the NFL, the time for Heyward to win is now and it’s the reason Pittsburgh is making a play for Rodgers.
“Of course he’s tired of talking about it,” Brandt said. “But he’s gotta be more tired of losing every January.”
T.J. Watt and Heyward share just one playoff win. The Steelers are in their longest postseason victory drought since the merger. They’ve lost their last six chances, the NFL’s second-longest active streak, and are no longer viewed as Super Bowl contenders. Even in dark years of the post-dynasty 1980s, there was some measure of playoff success.
It’s heat that gets placed on Mike Tomlin’s shoulders.
“Cam has nothing to prove. Mike Tomin does though,” Brandt said. “Mike Tomlin has to prove he should still be coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers and needs a quarterback to do it with.”
Tomlin has felt the most intense scrutiny of his career that only ramps up with each playoff loss. His resume now looks closer to his mentor Tony Dungy, a coach capable of putting together good regular-season squads but struggled to get over the hump despite having a Hall of Fame quarterback for the bulk of his career. While a hefty contract extension is securing Tomlin’s job and players still think highly of him, there’s more pressure on him now than ever before.
Brandt’s case is simple. The means justify the ends. If the best chance of winning a playoff game is the annoying, will-he, won’t-he when it comes to Aaron Rodgers, so be it. Because if Rodgers can lead Pittsburgh on a deep playoff run like Heyward’s never experienced, everything happening now will be forgiven and forgotten.
