Steelers’ Cam Heyward entertains the idea of playing with division-rival amidst contract impasse
Teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers don't give captaincies out to just anyone. Ask Najee Harris about it, who had his captaincy stripped in favor of Kenny Pickett last season. And for Cam Heyward, more than his All-Pro teams, Pro Bowls, or even Walter Payton Man of the Year accolades, he's known as THE captain of […]
Teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers don't give captaincies out to just anyone. Ask Najee Harris about it, who had his captaincy stripped in favor of Kenny Pickett last season.
And for Cam Heyward, more than his All-Pro teams, Pro Bowls, or even Walter Payton Man of the Year accolades, he's known as THE captain of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But as he approaches the final year of his deal with no contract extension in sight, Heyward is finally opening up to the reality of playing elsewhere as soon as 2025.
Heyward to the Browns?
“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 told The Athletic's Mark Kaboly when asked about potentially playing out the final year of his contract with no extension. “If that is what is needed to be done, then so be it…
"…I still have family in Cleveland … my wife is from Cleveland. We will see. I am not trying to think about all that right now.”
To be clear, Heyward, who is 35, still has the long-term goal of staying and playing in Pittsburgh. But as he should know, the NFL is a business and teams have a duty to their fans to do what's best for the team.
Funny enough, his former teammate gave him some insight into that:
Cam Heyward is finally feeling the energy from when you're an older player with the Steelers. That's the thing about being a player with a team for so long. Your life, your family is indebted to them. But then you realize it's a business, they don't have no need for you no more. It's like you're breaking up with your wife after 10 years.
-Antonio Brown, Twitter/X Spaces
As in any contractual impasse, it's the terms that are holding up the deal. Heyward wants top 5-10 interior defensive lineman money, and likely over three years, but Pittsburgh, or at least at this point, is not willing to oblige. And if the two sides are to find common ground, the deadline is fast approaching:
“Once we get into the season, I’m a believer it all should be focused on football. Obviously, there’s a business aspect to this, and that’s okay. That’s just part of it. But once we get into the season, it’s to focus on the season," Pittsburgh Steelers GM Omar Khan told 93.7 The Fan when asked about ending contract tasks once the season starts.
Heyward's future with the Steelers could be determined in less than three months, and if he's no longer going to be in Pittsburgh, the Browns make a lot of sense given Heyward's time in college at OSU and the depths of the team's defensive line:
The Browns just drafted Mike Hall Jr. to be a future piece on the interior to get after the passer. Dalvin Tomlinson will remain on the roster next year surely, but there are question marks after that. If Cleveland believes that Heyward is a high-end contributor still, they very well could pursue him in 2025.
–Branon Little, A to Z Sports Cleveland Browns
Odds are that Heyward and his representatives cave and find some sort of middle ground for the 35-year-old potential Hall of Famer. Being open to a new home is a must in this business, but Heyward in anything other than black and gold would be a culture shock.
