It's only three weeks since the Black Cats sealed the Championship title with a thrilling win at Luton but Whitehead knows that boss Roy Keane will revamp his squad.
That could signal the end their Sunderland careers for some of the promotion-winning players and that's something the skipper sees as vital if the club is to meet forthcoming challenges head on.
The midfielder, pictured here modeling next season's all-white away kit – which goes on sale on June 28 – said: "Promotion represents a new challenge for the club.
"We enjoyed the Championship win but it's important that we rise to the next challenge instead of settling for what we achieved.
"It certainly feels different to our Championship win of two years ago; there's a different kind of buzz around the place.
"I'm sure we'll see some new faces coming in over the course of the summer and that's exciting for the club. It gives everyone a fresh challenge and will hopefully give the club a fresh impetus to take in to the Premiership."
Memories of the title season are still vivid for fans and players, but it does not take long for either to begin thinking about the task of staying and thriving in the top flight.
The club's last two terms in the Premiership were nothing short of a disaster – reaping 19 and 15 points to break all records for failure.
But with the new season's fixtures released on June 14, the reality of top flight football will quickly hit home.
Whitehead said: "It's nice to be able to enjoy some time off and look back on what we achieved last season, but it's also exciting to be looking ahead to what promises to be an exciting year back in the Premiership."
Sunderland will sport two new Umbro kits next season as well as new main sponsor, Irish betting giants Boylesports.
The away kits launches with a family fun event at the Stadium of Light from 5pm on Thursday, June 28, and fans can pre-order now via safc.com or the club's mail order hotline 0845 671 1973.
The home kit will follow with a July 26 release.
Whitehead added: "It's exciting that we go into a new Premiership season with two brand new kits. This all-white away strip has already gone down a storm with the players, it really feels the business, looks smart and I'm sure it will be popular with our fans."