It seems as if the question of Cameron Heyward’s future in the NFL and with the Pittsburgh Steelers has been raised at the end of every season for the last few years. With the Steelers’ season ending with a 31-17 loss in the Wild Card Round to the Buffalo Bills, Heyward’s future is once again in question. Speaking to reporters after the game, he reiterated that the 2023 season has been “rough,” and that he needs to take the offseason to get healthy.
“In my heart, I want to play,” Heyward said via the team’s YouTube channel. “But it’s been rough. I need to take the offseason to get healthy again. Battling back through a groin, it’s one thing to just walk off a groin, doesn’t mean you can play football, and there’s been some other stuff, but it’s definitely been a season that I just want to put my hand in that pile.”
Heyward missed six games earlier this season with a groin injury, and at 34 years old, he’s already up there in age for an NFL player. He’ll be 35 if he returns next season, which for a defensive lineman would be really impressive. His heart is clearly still in the game, and while injuries and just the wear and tear of a season can take a grind on the body, having the offseason to rest and recover will be important for Heyward.
It doesn’t sound as if he’s ready to hang them up, and he clearly still loves football. This was the first season since 2016 that he’s had to deal with a major injury, and missing significant time due to injury and dealing with pain and rehab certainly doesn’t get easier as you get older. For Heyward, the decision to return will be whether he feels healthy enough to be the player that he knows and the Steelers know he can be and whether it’s worth the grind. It sounds like it is for him with his love for the game.
Even as Pittsburgh’s longest-tenured player, Heyward is still as productive as ever and a really important piece for the Steelers’ defense. Losing him to retirement would be a big blow to the Steelers’ defense and their leadership as Heyward is a captain and one of the most respected players in Pittsburgh’s locker room and around the league as a whole.
Heyward will look to get healthy and hopefully return next season at full strength and go on a playoff run with the Steelers. If anyone deserves a ring on this team, it’s Heyward as he’s the heart and soul of the Steelers.
