PITTSBURGH — “I don’t think a deal will get done tomorrow, I will tell you that.”
After that, we simply wait. In short, Cameron Heyward bides his time.
After being absent for two months, the 35-year-old defensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers made his first appearance at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Tuesday. He was almost unchanged from early April when he arrived, lacking an extension and seemed to be nowhere near one.
Other than finishing his career as a “one-helmet” player in three years, we have no idea what Heyward wants. We also do not know what the Steelers are offering Heyward in terms of years, money, or guarantees. It is challenging to choose a side in this dispute because of this.
“There has been communication but nothing really to report on right now,” Heyward said. “There are certain guys who are one-helmet guys. I want to be one of these one-helmet guys. There is a hunger and desire there, but that doesn’t mean hanging it up and calling it a career. I have more bullets to fire.”
Cam Heyward: “I’m still a top-five player at my position.” pic.twitter.com/lKZaAaGzGp
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) June 4, 2024
Either way, it should not be too hard to find this out. We have a player who still believes he can play and wants to earn one last paycheck; a player who wants to play his entire career with the team that picked him and be respected for what he has accomplished.
Then we have a franchise that wishes to safeguard itself against a potentially crippling deal for the oldest defensive lineman on the roster, who is coming off of two major operations in five months, that might cause problems down the road for the team.
Although both parties are correct in their approach, let us not assume that there is no way to resolve this.
Both Heyward and the Steelers need to be realistic about the kind of assurances they are willing to give and accept that Heyward’s career should not end after one season marred by injuries.
There is and will be a middle ground; it is simply not here yet. They both have time, which they will undoubtedly take advantage of.
“You always have to treat it like a business,” Heyward said. “One day it is going to end. I still have a love for the game and still work my tail off. I still put everything into it, and that’s not going to change, but you have to know what you bring to the team and what value you have.”
That is the crux of the matter. It is unknown which Heyward the Steelers will see this season, next season, or in 2026—assuming he receives the two-year extension he desires.
Heyward has, on the one hand, had a really strong career. The only extended absences he had were for nine games in the second half of the 2016 season due to a torn pectoral muscle and six games in the first half of the previous season due to a surgery-related injury to his core muscle.
However, despite making a comeback in Week 9 and participating in 11 games overall, he was a very different player. His strength and power, which are the two most important aspects of his game, were severely diminished, and he ended with 33 tackles and two sacks.
Heyward underwent surgery in the off-season to “tighten up” his groin on the left side. On Tuesday, he declared that he was in perfect health and that his only area of improvement was cardio.
“A groin is not like an ACL,” he said. “It’s not like it is going to get affected ever again. I am feeling good. I am squatting heavily and with power and speed. It feels good to get after it.”
His age is still a mystery, though that may not be totally fair to Heyward. Despite turning 35 this month, he sat and waited behind Brett Keisel for most of his third season in the NFL before seeing significant action. Heyward has been selected for six Pro Bowls and has been named to three first teams All-Pro teams since turning 28.
Though Heyward is important to the team both on and off the field (he received the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2023), 35 is still old for an NFL defensive tackle, so you can understand why the Steelers are reluctant to give him a big contract.
In 2024, the last year of a four-year deal that he signed in 2020 and set a record for a defensive player over 30, Heyward has a $22.4 million cap charge. However, 35 is not at all like 30. The dearth of available comparisons makes estimating his market value nearly impossible. The 37-year-old Calais Campbell is still a free agent after making $7 million with the Atlanta Falcons in the previous campaign. 33-year-old Fletcher Cox retired after earning $10 million with the Philadelphia Eagles.
“There is not a lot of history behind it, but for me, I look at it like I am not trying to be anybody else,” Heyward said. “My game is different from anybody else’s in this league. I like to think I can play the run and the pass, and that’s why I am different. Last year, (coach) Mike (Tomlin) brought to my attention the cool thing is … (like) powerlifters, my game is built on power and technique, and those guys go into their 40s.”
Maybe Cameron Jordan would make a good analogy. Despite Heyward’s preference for playing inside, Jordan, a 34-year-old power player, has been selected to eight Pro Bowls and one first-team All-Pro selection since being selected seven rounds ahead of Heyward in the 2011 draft. Last summer, Jordan inked a two-year, $26.5 million contract extension with the New Orleans Saints, with the whole amount guaranteed in the event of an injury.
Heyward’s contract extension with the Steelers that spreads out his salary hit and includes a team-friendly third year might be able to close the deal, but it would require compromise from both parties. That is what this will call for.
The Steelers would much prefer stick onto a franchise-altering talent for an extra season than let him go for too short of a season. Ben Roethlisberger was one of the players they did that with, but not Franco Harris, Troy Polamalu, or Alan Faneca. Even now, the Steelers still regret those.
However, it must also make sense to them.
“I am looking to be here,” Heyward said. “The value is what we decide, but I think, for me, I want to be valued at my position. I understand I came off a rough season, but I don’t think it is a step down of where I can play. I think when I’m at the top of my game, I’m still a top-five player at my position. I play the run and the pass and I bring leadership, and it’s not anything I discount.”
Heyward stated that he will attend the remaining OTAs, the required minicamp the next week, and the training camp in late July. However, he is not sure if he will take part in practices in the event that a deal is not reached. In 2020, during his final contract discussions, he engaged in a low-key “hold-in.” Since then, Diontae Johnson, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and T.J. Watt have all followed suit and received long-term deals.
“All I know is I want to be here, but we will see what happens,” Heyward said. “If it’s my last year here, I had a great career …”
Both sides are currently engaging in a lot of posturing, which is inappropriate.
Heyward has to give in, and the Steelers must follow suit. In that case, we close this agreement immediately.
If not, Heyward might have to say goodbye to this ride. And believe me when I say that history would not remember it well.
(Photo: Shelley Lipton / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
