5 Steelers storylines to track during Mandatory Minicamp

The Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up for their 2025 Mandatory Minicamp this week, and it will go from Tuesday-Thursday this week. Three workouts before the team goes on their longest hiatus before reporting to Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA for training camp on July 23rd.

Even though there are no pads in minicamp workouts, it is the closest thing we have to real football until the pads go on in training camp. It is also mandatory, so there will be plenty to discuss from that perspective as well.

I’ve compiled 5 storylines to track during Mandatory Minicamp, and let’s get started…

1 – Will T.J. Watt show up?

I know Aaron Rodgers will be a hot-button topic of discussion on social media, and we’ll get to that shortly, but the biggest story to me is whether or not T.J. Watt shows up. Watt has made it known, in more ways than one, he isn’t happy with his contract situation. Will he show up and be a part of workouts, or will he make a stance and continue his absence.

I don’t feel as if Watt being in attendance matters for the defense, but will be telling how he views something deemed mandatory with his current contractual status.

2 – Aaron Rodgers in the black-and-gold

Of course all eyes will be on Rodgers wearing the black-and-gold for the first time. It will be different, but so was watching Russell Wilson and Justin Fields don the colors last season. Rodgers will start getting acclimated with his teammates this week, and the hope is they start the process of becoming a cohesive unit.

As for his teammates accepting him into the fold, I believe that process has already started.

Steelers’ newest offensive weapons, Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf, are at Cam Heyward’s ‘Irons for Impact’ Golf Outing at Sewickley Heights Golf Club today.

That didn’t take long.

— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) June 9, 2025

Oh, and if you wondered if DK Metcalf was going to show up at minicamp, I’d say it is safe to say he’ll be there.

3 – DK Metcalf doing football-like things

Speaking of DK Metcalf, this will be the first time we’ll see the freak of nature, what I call Metcalf, doing football-like things. Metcalf missed all of Phase III of Organized Team Activities (OTAs), even though he was in regular attendance for Phases I and II.

Metcalf catching passes from Aaron Rodgers? Even in shorts, you can inject that straight into my veins…

4 – Rookies getting acclimated

During Phase III of OTAs rookie quarterback Will Howard spoke about his struggles. Going from college to the pro game is no joke, even if they are doing basic 7v7, 9v7, and 11v11 in shorts. Minicamp will be a great time to see how all the Steelers 2025 rookies will get acclimated to veterans being in town.

Will we see Jack Sawyer learning from T.J. Watt?

Cam Heyward continuing to mentor Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black.

Kaleb Johnson getting his first handoffs from a future Hall of Famer in Aaron Rodgers.

The rookies will be, and should be, a vital component of Mandatory Minicamp.

5 – No bad news

During Phase III of OTAs the Steelers lost Donald Parham to a ruptured Achilles tendon, ending his season before it even began. These non-contact injuries have become a big part of the modern NFL, and the hope is there are no negative reports out of minicamp. The best-case scenario is to get everyone out of minicamp healthy so they can train and prepare for the grueling nature of training camp at Saint Vincent College.

Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for their Mandatory Minicamp.