Is Cameron Heyward worth a contract extension to the Steelers?
Everybody and their Yinzer grandmother has seen fit to weigh in, but the reality is only one opinion matters. Do the Pittsburgh Steelers think Cameron Heyward is worthy of a contract extension? We may be able to simply narrow that down to, does Art Rooney II think so?
Heyward is already on record making clear that he is skipping OTAs amid contract talks. At 35 and entering the final year of his contract, he wants a new deal. Regardless of how fans or reporters feel, he’s entirely within his rights to feel that way. Virtually every player wants a contract extension entering the final year of their deal.
But every player’s career has to end at some point. Do the Steelers believe Heyward’s should end after the 2024 season? They are paying him $16 million for the year, but what is he worth to them in 2025? Perhaps they don’t feel comfortable putting a value on that until they see the results of 2024.
The thing is, Heyward is coming off an injury-plagued season during which he wasn’t himself. At least, he wasn’t the player he used to be. The question that he needs to answer is what player he is now. Heyward had one of his best seasons in 2022, but we can’t assume he can return to that level.
At the same time, he deserves some benefit of the doubt that he can play better when he’s healthy. And he wasn’t healthy at any point of the 2024 season, from the first snap to the last. Evaluating his play without taking that into account is dishonest at best.
It may be that the Steelers are simply uncomfortable committing to Heyward at his age on a long-term basis. Perhaps they would prefer to take him on with year-by-year deals, but even then, at what price? Heyward still believes he ought to command a high price for his services. The Baltimore Ravens paid Calais Campbell $12.5 million in 2022, the Cardinals $7 million in 2023 with incentives on top.
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wild Card Round, they have another long offseason ahead.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? Will he play just one season in Pittsburgh before moving on, or the Steelers moving on from him? How will the team address the depth chart?
The Steelers are past free agency and the draft and their roster for the 2024 season is coming into focus. They made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
