Being a ‘one helmet’ guy in the National Football League is a rare thing these days. With more trades and free agency, it’s becoming less and less likely for a player to stay with one franchise during an entire career. Cam Heyward is one of those few. A Pittsburgh Steeler since being drafted in 2011, Heyward will turn 37 years old in May and he has some decisions to make regarding his future and the future of the Steelers.
The new league Year begins on Wednesday March 11th. Just a few days later, Heyward is due his roster bonus which will pay him $12.5 million. Since the 2025 season ended, Heyward has been quiet with regards to his future. The last two seasons have seen him earn All-Pro and Second Team All-Pro honors despite being one of the older defensive players in the League. If I know anything in this life it’s that Father Time is unbeaten and eventually comes for you. Heyward has to know that and I’m sure he’s weighing that heavily.
He must also consider whether he wants to play for Mike McCarthy. The last time Heyward had a head coach other than Mike Tomlin was when he played at Ohio State. You don’t need me to tell you how close Tomlin and Heyward were either. You could see it and you could often hear it in their words. I’m guessing that Heyward also understands that this current team isn’t likely to get him to a Super Bowl which is really the only thing in his career that has eluded him.
The problem with all of this is that the longer Heyward takes to make a decision, the more difficult the situation becomes for the Steelers. If they knew he was going to retire then they could adjust accordingly in terms of their free agent and draft approaches. That’s where Heyward has to decide some things. Will he do what’s best for him and if so, when will he do it?
If we had been in this exact position three years ago, I would have said that Heyward would do everything in his power to be courteous and mindful of the team. Now? I’m really not sure. Cam is focused on a media career and that’s totally his prerogative. It’s just that to me anyway, it feels like he isn’t as concerned with helping the team for the future without the way he may have been at one time. One could point to his recent podcast with Joey Porter.
This was the one that led to all of the ugliness directed at Ben Roethlisberger. If Heyward were really concerned about the image and reputation of the Steelers that interview – or those comments at least – would have never seen the light of day. What I’m getting at is this; Heyward is somewhat holding the Steelers hostage similarly to how Aaron Rodgers is. The longer they both wait to make decisions the less time the team has to prepare for the future.
And for a team “reloading” that’s not good.
