With the Pittsburgh Steelers’ regular-season opener a week-and-a-half away, the team’s self-imposed deadline for any contract talk is quickly approaching. And according to DT Cam Heyward, he isn’t any closer to getting a deal done than he was months ago.
“No new news. There’s nothing to report,” Heyward told reporters Wednesday via The Trib’s Chris Adamski. “I’m just gonna keep my head down. Continue to control what I can control.”
Heyward has been angling for a deal since the spring when he sat out the first two weeks of OTAs to make his point. Despite that, there appears to be little movement on netting one more extension for his career. Heyward has continued to express a desire to finish his career out in Pittsburgh while also acknowledging him playing for another team if the Steelers don’t extend him. He has a goal of playing two more years after 2024, putting him in the NFL through the 2026 season.
Per freelance reporter Amanda Godsey, Heyward is putting the ball in the front office’s court, telling reporters his contract future is “for them to decide.”
Now 35 years old and the second-oldest player on the roster, there’s reason to have pause in offering Heyward a long-term deal. History says most interior defensive linemen fall off around this age, even greats like Warren Sapp and John Randle. Still, Heyward could prove to be an exception, joining the likes of Calais Campbell and the great Alan Page.
Now healthy after undergoing groin surgery last season, Heyward was held out of the team’s three preseason games, putting his first in-stadium snaps in Atlanta Sept. 8. He was also well-rested during training camp but looked explosive and effective when practicing, showing the burst he didn’t have after returning from injury in 2023.
Heyward remains the Steelers’ best defensive lineman, stout against the run and hopefully still effective as a pass rusher. Pittsburgh’s front seven remains the strength of the defense. If this is his last year, the team still lacks a long-term plan and vision to replace him. And as the calendar turns from August to September, a future without Heyward becomes a more relevant conversation.
