The return of Cam Heyward at Steelers OTAs suggests someone threw in the towel on contract talks
After publicly announcing that he would forego the offseason ramp-up period in search of a new contract, Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro and team captain Cam Heyward has returned to the facility, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette: The move suggests that one side caved in terms of contract negotiations, with the coming days, weeks, […]
After publicly announcing that he would forego the offseason ramp-up period in search of a new contract, Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro and team captain Cam Heyward has returned to the facility, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:
The move suggests that one side caved in terms of contract negotiations, with the coming days, weeks, or even months proving who won the talks.
Captain Cam Returns
Rapoport's tweet that Heyward has returned without a deal, or at least not one that is imminent, suggests that at this point, he is the one who was unable to receive the deal he wanted, leaving Pittsburgh as the winner in the early stages.
Heyward's absence was always designed to create leverage for his contract talks, but it was clear that his time away from the team did more harm than good, or at least when it came to his goal of an extension.
"I'm not overly concerned, to be quite honest with you," Coach Tomlin told reporters on when asked about Heyward's absence from OTAs. "Cam's a guy with over 10,000-plus career snaps. It's probably an easier day for me with him not being here. I get to thin the lines out to get to know some people that I know less than him. Obviously, I know Cam very well. We've shared a lot of experiences over the years. But he and I talk often. As a matter of fact, we talked twice yesterday, but that's not an irregular thing. That's what we always do. We talk about not only where he is and what's going on with him, but where this team is, because as a leader, he needs information in that regard."
Not only did Heyward's time away from the team make his HC's life easier, (albeit jokingly) it also allowed for a budding star to step into a leadership role:
"I'm just being myself," DT Keeanu Benton told Brooke Pryor of ESPN when asked about stepping into a leadership role in Heyward's absence. "Guys gravitate towards me because of who I am. [They] ask me questions. I don't mind answering them. I answer 'em honestly. It's nice to have a different rookie [Logan Lee] in the class. That's really the guy who asks the most questions to me. And then just being able to be a different voice in the locker room, breaking down huddles and stuff like that. [Heyward's absence] Just gives me more opportunities to be heard and pick up my role."
So time will tell who actually won the negotiations, but for now, Heyward is still set to play out the final year of his contract in 2024, with questions about his future left unanswered.
