Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward talked to Mike Prisuta of WDVE recently, and during the interview, Prisuta asked him when he retires if it’ll be because he doesn’t want to prepare to get ready to play anymore, or if it will be a case of him not being able to play. Heyward explained why it’ll be “a little bit of both.”
“I don’t know if it’s ever going to be not worth it,” Heyward said about preparing for the season. “I enjoy this so much and I enjoy the process of it. When I don’t have fun with this and I don’t want to do what I consider important to gear up for it, that’s when I’ll call it. It’ll definitely be earlier than expected, but I’m having a lot of fun doing it right now.”
The “earlier than expected” bit is interesting, but Heyward is already 34 though showing no signs of slowing down. If Heyward was to retire earlier than expected, it would have to happen after this season or have already happened. I guess it would be a surprise if Heyward retired in two or three years if he’s still at the top of his game, but no one is going to fault a 36- or 37-year-old defensive lineman from stepping away from the game.
It certainly doesn’t sound like Heyward wants to slow down or put the brakes on, either. As he said, he’s still having a lot of fun playing football, and he’s a guy who really seems to embrace the camaraderie that training camp brings.
There are also ways to limit his participation if the ramp-up to the season and work during the week in-season gets to be too much. At this point, Heyward doesn’t need to go 100 percent every single rep during every single practice or training camp session. We know what he’s capable of, and the Steelers will understand if he takes a day off here or there to get his body or his mind right.
The Heyward retirement conversation is also a silly one to be having with training camp kicking off tomorrow. There’s a lot to look forward to with the 2023 season, and at the end of the season, the retirement question will pop up just as it has for the past few offseasons. At this point, there’s no need to really talk about or worry about Heyward stepping away from the game. He’s not going to retire before the season starts.
Like most players, Heyward will retire when football becomes more like a chore than something he genuinely enjoys doing. If that happens while he’s still productive, then it’ll suck for the Steelers, but so be it. He’s going to be someone who stays involved and continues doing good for the community, and he’s already cemented himself as a legend in Pittsburgh. Hopefully, he adds a ring to his trophy box in the near future.
