Four practices into training camp, there’s two Pittsburgh Steelers with realistic odds of seeing a contract extension. TE Pat Freiermuth and DL Cam Heyward are angling for new deals. Freiermuth is trying to cash in on a hot tight end market while Heyward is looking for on-paper security in his final seasons. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo thinks both players will receive new contracts, though they could come on two different timelines.
Joining KDKA’s No. 1 Cochran Sports Showdown Sunday night, Fittipaldo said he believes Freiermuth’s deal will come first. Heyward may have to wait until the winter.
“Expect Pat Freiermuth definitely to get done before Cam Heyward does,” Fittipaldo told the panel and host Bob Pompeani. “I would be a little bit surprised if they don’t get one done before the start of the season. I’m convinced right now that they’ll take care of Cam after the season.”
Freiermuth and Heyward haven’t taken the “hold-in” route and have practiced in full, putting less public pressure on Omar Khan and the Steelers’ front office. A second-round pick in 2021, Freiermuth enters the final year of his rookie deal. His first two seasons were excellent before a hamstring injury derailed his third season, setting career lows in receptions (32) and yards (308).
A popular target early in training camp, he’s on track to be the team’s No. 2 receiver and could put up big numbers. While there’s a case for him to bet on himself, have a big year, and cash in even greater in the offseason, a deal that pays him fair market value of $12-13 million per year is worth accepting now. Freiermuth hasn’t been the beacon of health and waiting comes with risk.
Heyward’s is arguably the most controversial and trickiest contract. A face of the defense and future Hall of Honor inductee, he remains the best defensive lineman on the team. But he’s 35 and coming off an injury-shortened 2023 season, making guarantees on an extension difficult to offer. Fittipaldo thinks the Steelers’ strategy will be allowing Heyward to prove his worth this fall and reward him prior to free agency beginning next March.
“They wanna see how he plays. People forget. They say, ‘Oh, he’s gonna be a free agent.’ They have the back end of January, all of February, and the first two weeks of March.” he said.
It would be a shrewd “wait-and-see” approach and perhaps the most ideal situation for the front office. Even with a good season, Heyward’s market value won’t dramatically rise when he’s another year older. The downside is Heyward’s likely unhappiness of playing out the final year of his contract. And if Heyward winds up playing elsewhere in 2025, Pittsburgh currently has no replacement on the roster.
Speaking at the start of camp, Khan said his goal is to make Cam Heyward a Steeler for “years to come.” While Khan has gotten GM-speak down pat, to make that statement without intentions of doing a deal soon would feel like a slap in the face to a player with Heyward’s resume. Perhaps that does come after the year, just as could be the case with RB Najee Harris.
But as Dave Bryan has pointed out, the Steelers need to spend some cash this summer and while Heyward may not add to the total, he’d be one less situation to handle next year. Expect Freiermuth to get a deal done and put odds in favor of Heyward getting the same ahead of Week 1. Everyone else? Bet on them playing out their deals.
