Art Rooney II, Cameron Heyward address Steelers having early bye during 2025 season

The NFL confirmed during its full schedule release on Wednesday night that the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 bye week falls the week after Pittsburgh and the Minnesota Vikings meet in Ireland for a Week 4 matchup on Sept. 28. 

In comments offered to Bob Labriola of the Steelers' website, team owner and president Art Rooney II insisted Pittsburgh had nothing to do with the NFL's decision regarding the early bye. 

"We didn't ask for the bye after the Ireland game," Rooney said. "The league has, in the past, kind of tended to try to give teams their bye following an international game. I don't think that's the rule anymore, but you know, it's not a bad way to do it. It is a long trip, and so it doesn't hurt to have the bye coming after that."

Back in May 2022, ESPN's Rob Demovsky pointed out that "the NFL now leaves it up to the teams playing overseas if they want to take their bye the following week." Multiple clubs have since passed on being off immediately after international games for different reasons. Despite that, the NFL Football Operations website notes that "teams usually have their bye week after an international game." 

The biggest concern for any club having to deal with a Week 5 bye is that it will then have to play over 13 consecutive weeks to close out the season. During a schedule-release reaction edition of his "Not Just Football with Cam Heyward" podcast, longtime Steelers defensive lineman and team captain Cameron Heyward spoke about the challenges that come with essentially not being off over the final three months of a grueling campaign. 

"I don't think you prepare yourself," Heyward said, as shared by Josh Carney of Steelers Depot. "You play the games and then, after, I think it's just, you try to mitigate injuries towards the end of the season. You're not expecting to be off, but you know, that means you just got a good lather in the first part of the season...I think it's gonna be a little bit different, but I think we're up for the challenge. It's not anything we're not expecting."

Numerous reports have suggested the Steelers will soon sign Aaron Rodgers to be their starting quarterback for the upcoming season. Rodgers turns 42 years old in December, and one can't help but wonder how he feels about Pittsburgh's early bye as he remains an unsigned free agent.