Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ team captains for the 2025 season are quarterback Aaron Rodgers, defensive tackle Cam Heyward, outside linebacker T.J. Watt and safety/special teams ace Miles Killebrew, the team announced on Monday. The captains were voted on by the players, but head coach Mike Tomlin draws the line in terms of how many captains.
Rodgers will be the offensive captain, while Heyward and Watt will serve as the defensive captains. Killebrew is the special teams captain.
Rodgers, who was signed this offseason, will be a team captain for the 15th time in his career. He was a team captain 12 of his 18 years in Green Bay and the last two years with the New York Jets.
Heyward will be a defensive captain for the 11th consecutive year, 2015-25. Watt is a defensive captain for the fifth time in his career. Watt was also captain in 2020 and 2022-24.
This is the fourth straight year that Killebrew was selected as special teams captain. Killebrew earned first-team All-Pro honors on special teams in 2023 and made the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive year in 2024.
Our 2025 team captains 🫡
📝: https://t.co/pP9lXEVC42 pic.twitter.com/iqjy7oq6Si
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 1, 2025
Rodgers revealed during training camp that he has an open door policy with his teammates.
“It’s not all X’s and O’s,” Rodgers said. “It’s storytelling from time to time, but [Smith’s] not a rigid guy at all. Any ideas I have or the receivers have, he really appreciates it. We’ve installed stuff I’ve looked at or other guys have had similar ideas. I have an open forum in my room. Anytime you want to come in and suggest something, let me know and I’ll take it right to Art. I’ve just really enjoyed him as a person a lot and the way he leads in front of a room. It’s been a lot of fun so far.”
Rodgers wants a constant flow of communication. He wants nothing unsaid.
“I think that’s an important part of it,” Rodgers said. “There’s no dictatorship here. We want to talk about all the issues, whether it’s in a text message or coming into my room. I don’t want anything to be left unsaid. It’s been a good process for us.”
STEELERS TEAM CAPTAINS SINCE 1998
2024: QB Russell Wilson, DL Cam Heyward, OLB T.J. Watt, ST Miles Killebrew
2023: QB Kenny Pickett, DL Cam Heyward, OLB T.J. Watt, ST Miles Killebrew
2022: QB Mitch Trubisky, RB Najee Harris, DL Cam Heyward, OLB T.J. Watt, ST Miles Killebrew
2021: QB Ben Roethlisberger, DL Cam Heyward, ST Derek Watt
2020: QB Ben Roethlisberger, C Maurkice Pouncey, DE Cam Heyward, OLB T.J. Watt, ST Jordan Dangerfield
2019: QB Ben Roethlisberger, C Maurkice Pouncey, DE Cam Heyward, ST Roosevelt Nix
2018: QB Ben Roethlisberger, C Maurkice Pouncey, DE Cam Heyward, K Chris Boswell
2017: QB Ben Roethlisberger, DE Cam Heyward
2016: QB Ben Roethlisberger, DE Cam Heyward, CB William Gay, ST Robert Golden...
