The Pittsburgh Steelers already look a little different under Mike McCarthy, and it has nothing to do with what happened on the field.
After Pittsburgh opened the season with a 20-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons, cameras were allowed inside the postgame locker room to capture Aaron Rodgers presenting McCarthy with the game ball from his first victory as Steelers head coach.
That kind of access wasn’t something Steelers fans routinely got during Mike Tomlin’s 19 seasons in Pittsburgh.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor called it out directly when the video surfaced.
“Another difference from the Mike Tomlin era: we’re getting a look at the postgame locker room and game ball dedications,” Pryor wrote on X. “The first one: from Aaron Rodgers to ‘Pittsburgher’ Mike McCarthy.”
Steelers show new access under Mike McCarthy
The moment offered a small but noticeable example of how things are changing under McCarthy.
Tomlin was famously protective of what happened inside the Steelers’ locker room. That became especially clear in January 2017 after Antonio Brown livestreamed Tomlin’s postgame message following a playoff win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tomlin called Brown’s decision to broadcast the locker room “foolish,” “selfish” and “inconsiderate,” according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The Steelers handled the matter internally.
Nearly a decade later, the Steelers are willingly showing fans a moment that once would have remained behind closed doors.
McCarthy also explained Monday that Pittsburgh has a system behind the awards. Players vote on the game ball after each game, while career achievements can bring additional recognition. T.J. Watt received two after the opener, including one tied to his latest career milestone.
“You heard about it. Now you’re seeing it,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko posted. “Mike McCarthy gets a game ball from Aaron Rodgers in their first game together again since 2018, and the coach’s first regular season game leading the Steelers. Very cool scene.”
Rodgers and McCarthy spent 13 seasons together with the Green Bay Packers. Their first Steelers win together came 2,863 days after their last victory as a quarterback-coach tandem.
For McCarthy, it was also his first regular-season win coaching the franchise he grew up supporting in Pittsburgh.
Aaron Rodgers explains Mike McCarthy game-ball moment
Rodgers made clear afterward that giving McCarthy the ball meant more than a standard postgame gesture.
“Yeah, it meant a lot,” Rodgers said, via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “Mike has had a lot of wins, but it’s always special when it’s the first one at a place, and extra special when it’s the team you grew up cheering for and you grew up just on the other side of the river from the facility. Your parents are still living in town. Super special to be able to do that. I was really honestly looking forward to that today as much as anything.”
The first one: from Aaron Rodgers to “Pittsburgher” Mike McCarthy
McCarthy was emotional about it, too.
“First team ball, first win,” McCarthy said. “So it’s obviously a special moment. I really appreciate the guys. Appreciate Aaron and the kind words, and it’s time to move on to get team victories from here on. I’m not one for attention. So, the homecoming’s been great. I’m just glad to get this one under our belt.”
The Steelers will ultimately judge the McCarthy era by wins, not locker-room videos.
But after nearly two decades under Tomlin, even something as simple as showing who gets the game ball offers an early reminder that Pittsburgh has entered a different era.
Steelers Make Immediate Mike Tomlin Change Under Mike McCarthy