Buy Or Sell: DL Cameron Heyward will have to accept a pay cut to return in 2024.
Explanation: The Steelers will likely be in the market for a young, high-pedigree guy along the defensive line this offseason. Meanwhile, Heyward is due to earn $16 million in base salary in 2024. Next year, he is entering his age-35 season and coming off a significant injury. He could be asked to accept a salary more reflective of the risks involved with his employment. If he wants that employment to continue.
Buy:
I will note that there seems to be a broad consensus about this among beat writers. A number of them have been coming out and saying that he will not return to the team under his current contract. Due $16 million in base salary in the final year of his deal, he has a cap hit over $22 million.
Heyward will be 35 when the 2024 season starts. He dealt with a chronic groin injury that he admits goes back to the beginning of training camp. And his play when he came back reflected that of an aging lineman dealing with mounting injuries.
The body only becomes more prone to these injuries at this time. We saw Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel begin to lose this same battle around the same points in their careers. Casey Hampton accepted a pay cut to stay. Ike Taylor accepted a pay cut to stay. There is precedent. Even Ben Roethlisberger took a pay cut.
Sell:
It is true that Heyward is unlikely to return to the Steelers in 2024 on his current deal. But it is not true that he will take a pay cut to do so. What the team is concerned with is not paying him less but rather lowering his cap hit.
He has a cap hit of $22,406,250 right now. $6,406,250 of that is from prior signing bonuses and restructures. The fungible part of that number is his $16 million base salary. What they are likely to do is sign him to an extension that includes no new guaranteed money. Then, they can restructure his 2024 base salary into a sizeable signing bonus that can be spread out over the new year.
We took a look at what that might look like when he snapped back at people talking about his money. They did something like this with Mitch Trubisky in 2023. Many years ago, they also did it with Troy Polamalu and Heath Miller.
With the Steelers’ 2023 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2024 and beyond.
The rookie class of a year ago was, on the whole, impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2024. And they likely need a strong influx of talent in both free agency and the draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
