Throughout the offseason as the Pittsburgh Steelers under GM Omar Khan made a number of roster moves in an effort to improve the Black and Gold ahead of the 2024 season, the concerns about the future of the face of the franchise and team captain Cameron Heyward lingered.
Heyward, who made it well-known all offseason that he wanted to be a one-helmet guy and play three more years to finish his career as a Steeler, was seeking a contract extension ahead of the final year of his deal.
At times, things appeared dicey there, especially through training camp as no deal materialized. But then, on Sept. 3, just five days before the season-opener in Atlanta, Heyward and the Steelers struck a deal on a three-year, $45 million extension, giving the multi-time All-Pro pick and Pro Bowler a chance to finish his career where it started.
Appearing on the latest episode of his podcast “Not Just Football w/ Cam Heyward” the team captain revealed that the extension was being worked on dating back to February.
“There was a lot of work with mine. The crazy thing about it, this deal had been getting worked on since February, and when the Steelers came to us, we talked about me being a one-helmet guy. It took a lot of great minds in getting this done. Omar Khan, Mike T[omlin], Mr. [Art] Rooney [II], my agent, Michael Perrett Jr. from Priority Sports,” Heyward said, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “But I think it doesn’t cement anything ’cause I still gotta keep working. I like that; there’s still a lot to prove in this and there’s still a lot to prove in my career, my contract, and that’s all I wanted was the opportunity. And now I just get to go out there and play. I don’t need to worry about it.
“I think we’re in a good place.”
Things are in a good place with Heyward and the Steelers. He’s staying where he belongs, and that’s as a one-helmet guy and a lifelong member of the only NFL franchise he’s ever known as a player.
It was a team-friendly deal, too, as Steelers Depot’s Dave Bryan laid out.
Based on the construction of the deal, it makes sense that it took awhile to hammer out. It’s a unique situation with Heyward. He’s 35 years old and playing a position that is incredibly demanding on the body and is historically a position that doesn’t age well with there being a dramatic fall-off.
So far, Heyward has held off Father Time, even with last season’s injury-marred season that sapped him of his mobility.
He’s back fully healthy this season after a second offseason surgery shortly after the Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills. Heyward looked quite healthy in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, too, grading out as one of the best defensive lineman in football from Pro Football Focus, and earning praise from one former NFL GM for looking like he was worth the money with his play.
While he’s happy to have the new contract in hand, Heyward also knows that there are no guarantees beyond the 2024 season with his contract, which allows the Steelers to operate year by year with Heyward thanks to the roster bonuses due in March of 2025 and 2026.
All good things come in due time, and that was the case with Heyward. Now he can just go out and play, let his talents do the talking, and try to compete for a Super Bowl with the Steelers late in his career.
Check out the full episode of “Not Just Football w/ Cam Heyward” below.
