Steelers News: DT Cam Heyward ‘open’ to playing for another team in 2025

Veteran defensive tackle Cam Heyward is entering the final year of his contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, meaning he's had plenty of time to think about the future while negotiations for another extension are ongoing.

Although Heyward expressed in early June that he hopes to be a “one-helmet player” and spend his entire career with the Steelers, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t considered the reality that not happen if the two sides cannot agree on a long-term deal.

Heyward discussed the possibility with The Athletic's Mark Kaboly as mandatory minicamp workouts concluded this week.

“I talked to my wife (Allie), and we know the reality, and we've had those conversations, and she said it might be fun to play somewhere else,” Heyward said at his locker this week.. “If that is what needs to be done, then so be it.

“But I’m still enjoying the trip here this year.”

Heyward had missed a portion of OTAs earlier in the day because he “opted out” of the voluntary workouts while the two sides weren't making much progress in their extension negotiations. Despite the lack of progress, he returned to the team for the third and final week of voluntary OTA workouts and, not surprisingly, was present for the mandatory minicamp sessions that took place this week.

Despite the change in tone toward Heyward, fans shouldn't panic that a deal won't happen. After all, publicly stating his willingness to play elsewhere gives Heyward more negotiating leverage than his previous statement that he's a “one-helmet player.” If the team knows he's willing to go if the two sides can't reach an agreement, he regains some of that negotiating leverage.

Unfortunately, after an injury-filled season and a year older, Heyward may have less bargaining power than in seasons past. Still, he says he has three more years in him. Time will tell if that's the case. In 2023, Heyward posted the lowest PFF defensive grade (73.1) since 2016 – a season that ended prematurely with a pectoral muscle injury. Still, there was no doubt that the Steelers' defense was a better unit with him on the field than without.

Hopefully, in the end, we'll find that Heyward was just playing it a little too hard when he talked about playing for another team in the future. Even at 33, he's still a top player at his position and makes important contributions as a leader on defense.