Steelers Insider Predicts Team Will Extend Cam Heyward

Heyward is coming off an injury-plagued 2022 season, when he suffered a torn groin and also had surgery for a core muscle injury, also known as a sports hernia. Heyward was expected to miss three months after the Week 1 injury and surgery, but returned eight weeks later, albeit well before he was 100%. Heyward played in 11 games in 2023, recording 33 tackles, six tackles for a loss, three quarterback hits, two sacks and one pass defended.

So, will Heyward actually get the extension he so desires from the Steelers? It’s a hard question to answer because the dollar amount he wants is unknown, but Mark Kaboly believes the team will end up extending Heyward for the next few seasons after his comments.

“I think they sign him to a multi-year deal within the next couple of months or so and move on from there,” Kaboly said. “If you recall, I believe it was he signed a four-year deal three years ago now – very, very similar words came out of his mouth at that time. ‘I still want to play, if it’s somewhere else, oh we’ll have to cross that bridge when we get there.’ That’s just him playing the game right now and getting that out there. He’s not going anywhere. I could see him definitely finishing his career here.”

Until the injuries, the elder statesman of the Pittsburgh defense had shown no signs of slowing down, despite his 194 games of NFL experience. Heyward had earned Pro Bowl nods in six consecutive seasons from 2017-21 and was a four-time Associated Press All-Pro in that span. He set a career high with 89 tackles in 2021, and his 20.5 sacks between 2021-22 were the most he ever had over a two-year span.

The Steelers have very little in terms of contractual value committed beyond the 2024 season. They have $168.3 million committed to 29 players for 2025, with the fifth-most cap space in the NFL, according to Over the Cap.

The Steelers are much tighter to the cap for 2024, and a salary cap hit reduction for Heyward could help general manager Omar Khan in his pursuit of a wide receiver. Heyward has said that he would not take a pay cut in order to help the team’s salary cap.

“I bust my butt in rehab, doing everything,” Heyward said on his podcast, Not Just Football, in January. “I got to let things calm down. Screw the people who keep talking about me getting a pay cut.”

Regardless of his contract status, Heyward remains dedicated to giving back to the community in his hometown. The 2023 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award winner was in East Liberty on Saturday, partnering with Little Caesars Love Kitchen, which gives food to those in need.