We really don’t know for sure if the Pittsburgh Steelers will wind up signing any more players to contract extensions prior to the season opener, but judging by comments made Sunday by team president Art Rooney II, it sounds like one or two more deals could take place in the coming weeks.
“It’s that time of year where we continue to look at the players who are in the last years of their contracts,” said Rooney in a one-on-one interview with Bob Labriola of Steelers Digest. “And we’ll continue to evaluate that over the next few weeks and talk to some of their representatives and see where we are.”
So far this offseason, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and defensive end Cameron Heyward were two players who signed lucrative long-term deals. Those signings were expected, however, and now we’ll wait and see if tackle Kelvin Beachum, one of 20 players who ended the 2014 season on the Steelers roster now entering the final year of their contracts, is next up on the list.
In addition to Beachum being a legitimate possibility, nose tackle Steve McLendon and cornerback William Gay are two other players who could be considered extension candidates.
As for the team getting the recent deal done with Heyward, Rooney is glad that the two sides now have that behind them.
“I think we’re excited about what Cam can continue to develop into,” said Rooney. “He’s still a young player, but really, I would say he’s someone who his leadership is beyond his years. And he’s an impressive young man and really is someone we’re very comfortable setting an example for our defense and really for our team. So we were very pleased to be able to extend that contract.”
