I take little joy in being critical of one my favorite Pittsburgh Steelers but that’s where I find myself today. As we head into the summer dead period between the end of OTAs and the beginning of Training Camp, Cameron Heyward and the Steelers remain at odds over his contractual situation.
And Heyward isn’t doing himself any favors in the court of public opinion.
When all is said and done, Heyward will walk into the team’s Hall of Honor without a single speed bump to deter him. He has been that great as a defensive lineman and as a captain of this team. He’s done everything right as both a leader by example and a leader with his voice. Now at 35 years old, Heyward finds himself in a difficult situation and so do the Steelers.
Heyward is scheduled to make a base salary of $16 million this season but when you factor in the signing bonus and the restructure, that means he will count $22 million against the salary cap. Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin both know that they can’t afford to pay a 35-year old defensive lineman coming off two major surgeries that much money.
Meanwhile, Heyward believes himself to still be one of the top five players at his position. What exactly is his position you may ask? He’s far more a defensive tackle these days than he is a defensive end simply because the Steelers are in nickel and dime packages far more than they are in their standard 3-4. I’m not going to question Heyward’s belief in himself because we want players to think this don’t we?
The reality is that the Steelers know Heyward is capable of great play but the 2023 season was a perfect example of what happens to older, great players who are dealing with injury. In other words, Heyward was a shell of himself. He’s to be credited with playing through tremendous pain and the knowledge that he couldn’t be himself on the field but it is what it is.
Unfortunately Heyward isn’t helping himself with comments to reporters and on social media. While he really hadn’t said anything egregious, the comments have often been passive-aggressive swipes about the situation. That was until OTAs.
In an interview with The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly, he was about his future should the two sides not be able to come to a mutual agreement. Heyward replied,
“I have talked to my wife (Allie), and we know the reality, and we have had those talks, and she said it could be fun to play somewhere else,” Heyward said at his locker this week. “If that is what is needed to be done, then so be it.
“But I am still enjoying the ride here this year.”
Those comments are fairly typical of a guy in his situation so I don’t really see a problem, but then the topic of playing somewhere else popped up.
“I still have family in Cleveland … my wife is from Cleveland,” Heyward said. “We will see. I am not trying to think about all that right now.”
Whoa, whoa, whoa…. OK Cam. I get it, you’re frustrated and you want this behind you so you can focus on football and the future but Cleveland? This is like Captain America saying, “You know what? I’m going to join up with Red Skull.” The thought of Heyward playing in those colors should literally nauseate any fan of the Black and Gold and this is where Heyward went too far. He tried to cover his tracks over the Father’s Day weekend by tweeting…
The goal is to be a Steeler for the rest of my career…… anyways on a more important front happy Father’s Day yall
— Cam Heyward (@CamHeyward) June 16, 2024
Captain Cam realized he committed an awful faux pas. While it’s one thing for a guy like Chris Hubbard to sign with the Browns in free agency, it’s another for a Steelers’ legend a likely Hall of Famer to make such a comment. No one should be happier to see the dead period arrive than Heyward. He can avoid microphones and cameras and hopefully focus on ramping up for the season while negotiating with the Steelers.
My advice for Heyward however is stay away from the phone and more specifically social media. Playing the victim is not a good look, especially for a guy who has garnered so much respect and has earned a Walter Payton Man of the Year Award as well. If Heyward is to follow the path of Franco Harris who ended his career in Seattle or Mike Webster who went to Kansas City, then so be it.
I don’t believe this will happen but Heyward just needs to be patient. He deserves to remain a Steeler and the front office knows this too. And let’s stop with the Cleveland talk.
