PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro defensive tackle Cam Heyward was pretty mum on his contract situation after Wednesday’s practice. Heyward is seeking a contract extension that will allow him to finish his career in Pittsburgh.
“No new news. There’s nothing to report,” Heyward said. “I’m just gonna keep my head down. Continue to control what I can control. That’s up to my agent and the Steelers front office to work on that. My job is to play football.”
Cam Heyward, 35, is entering the final season of a four-year, $65 million contract that is set to pay him $16 million in 2024. Heyward would like to play at least three more years, and he’s willing to go to play for another club if it’s not the Steelers. He’d prefer to finish in Pittsburgh, however.
“I want to be here. I want to have one helmet. But that’s for them to decide,” Heyward said.
General manager Omar Khan believes Heyward will be a one-helmet guy and retire as a Steeler.
“I don’t want to talk about specific negotiations, but I think Cam has a lot of football ahead of him. I’ll leave it at this, I expect him to be here for years to come,” Khan said at St. Vincent College during training camp.
Heyward missed six games last season because of a groin injury, which required offseason surgery. He essentially played on one leg last season. Given his age and the serious nature of last year’s injury, some believe the Steelers should be hesitant to give him a contract extension.
Due to his contract situation, Heyward could’ve done a hold-in, but he wanted to prove to the team that he was healthy.
“One, I needed to prove to everybody that I was healthy, especially with last year,” Heyward said. “I still want to win. As much as I want things to go right for me, I want things to go right for the Steelers. I want to be a contributor in this, not a distraction.”
Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.