Like Cameron Heyward, the Pittsburgh Steelers are right where we are: sitting at home being mad. Although they managed to make the playoffs in 2023, they lost in the first round. It has now been seven years without a postseason victory, the longest drought in franchise history. The question is what to do next.
The first step is always taking stock of what happened and what is left. That’s part of the exit meeting process, in which coaches meet with each player. They discuss the season and their expectations moving forward—and potentially their role within it.
While we might not know all the details about what goes on between head coach Mike Tomlin and his players during these exit meetings, we do know how we would conduct those meetings if they were let up to us. So here are the Depot’s exit meetings for the Steelers’ roster following the 2023 season.
Player: Cameron Heyward
Position: Defensive Line
Experience: 13 Years
Cameron Heyward’s six-year streak of making the Pro Bowl came to an end in 2023. A groin injury made that inevitable. He dealt with it throughout training camp until he ripped the muscle clean off the bone in the opener. That shelved him for almost two months, and he wasn’t the same player when he returned.
That’s the summary of this past season in about 60 words. It doesn’t read like a fitting epitaph to a great Steelers career, does it? But going into Year 14 at age 35 and coming off an injury-plagued season leads to doubts. Especially when those doubts are about a player due to make $16 million in 2024.
Steelers owner Art Rooney II reiterated that they want him back next season. But he also acknowledged the economic reality of the salary cap, saying he didn’t think it would be fair to Heyward to talk too much about his status and his contract right now.
Everybody has to face reality sooner or later. For the Steelers, the reality is a mystery when it comes to Heyward. Does he return to his pre-injury form in 2024? Does he stay healthy in the first place? Another harsh reality: he is at that age where many defensive linemen’s bodies begin to break down. It happened to Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel around the same time. Not many play into their late 30s, let alone at a high level.
To Heyward’s credit, he had one of the better seasons of his career at 33 in 2022. He hasn’t had the opportunity to play a healthy season since then. So, the last time he played healthy, he played very well, at least in my assessment.
That is one factor the Steelers need to consider. Another is durability. Can they trust that he can avoid the chronic injuries that end many linemen’s careers at his age? And beyond that, there’s the salary cap. Even if they don’t ask him to take a pay cut, do they want him to count $22 million against the cap? They can at least lower his cap hit by signing him to an extension with no new guaranteed money added and no commitments beyond 2024, minus additional prorated money from turning his base salary into a signing bonus. Basically, a restructure extension.
