Pittsburgh Steelers DL Cameron Heyward has made it clear that he wants to sign a new contract this offseason, but so far, there hasn’t seemed to be much progress between the Steelers and their defensive captain. The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly reported today that Heyward is “not optimistic” a deal will get done, which could lead to Heyward becoming a free agent for the first time in his career in 2025.
“He’s not optimistic, at this point, that a deal will get done, but he’s been in a similar position before eventually signing before the season. It’s a complicated issue with Heyward being the face of the franchise, but he is coming off two groin surgeries over five months and is a shell of himself. At 35, not many comps are around for his position, further complicating the issue,” Kaboly wrote
For what it’s worth, calling Heyward “a shell of himself” doesn’t necessarily seem fair given that he was still the team’s best run defender when he was on the field last year. The hope is that with Heyward healthy, he’ll return to form this season. If he does and he enters the season without a contract, he’s going to be more expensive next offseason.
If Heyward does enter 2024 without a contract, his Steelers future will very much be in doubt. Given how clear Heyward has made it that he wants a new deal, he may be annoyed that Pittsburgh wouldn’t come to terms with him. It could lead to him exploring other options if he winds up hitting the market.
The Heyward contract saga has had a number of twists and turns since it was reported he was sitting out OTAs to seek a new deal (and he did eventually show up for the final week of OTAs). On June 10, Kaboly said that a deal would likely get done before training camp, but just a few weeks later, that doesn’t seem as likely. If Heyward doesn’t have a new deal by camp, he could “hold-in” to similar to what T.J. Watt and Diontae Johnson have done before signing new deals.
At this point, it feels like an increasingly realistic possibility that 2024 could be Heyward’s last season with the Black and Gold. He’s said he wants to play three more seasons, and if the Steelers don’t look to extend him, a portion of that could be somewhere else.
