As Cameron Heyward continues to hunt for his next contract, we’ll go back to a transaction from five years ago. On July 16, 2015, the defensive lineman signed a six-year, $59.25MM extension with the Steelers.
Pittsburgh selected the Ohio State product with the 31st pick of the 2011 draft. It took a while for Heyward to settle into a starting role, but he never looked back after starting 13 games during the 2013 campaign. After combining for 12.5 sacks between the 2013 and 2014 seasons, the Steelers decided to make a lengthy commitment to the lineman. However, the deal did provide the organization with some flexibility at only $15MM in guaranteed money.
Heyward has more than lived up to that deal. He’s earned Pro Bowl appearances in each of the past three seasons, and he received first-team All-Pro honors in 2017 and 2019. The veteran has only missed a single regular season game over the past three years, averaging just under 10 sacks per season.
Following a 2016 campaign where he was limited to only seven games, Heyward agreed to restructure his contract (he also restructured prior to the 2018 season). Now, the 31-year-old is looking to get paid.
With Heyward set to hit free agency following the 2020 season, some sources believe he could get a contract that’s pushing Aaron Donald‘s six-year, $135MM deal ($50MM guaranteed). Sure, Heyward is on the wrong side of 30, but his versatility and continued production means he’ll surely find a lucrative deal. Considering the uncertainty of the 2021 cap, it’s uncertain if the Steelers will even be able to retain their defensive captain.
While Heyward’s future in Pittsburgh may be a bit uncertain, the team can at least rest easy knowing they inked the lineman to an excellent deal five years ago today.
Is this comment section closed too?
Even better person than player, too.
Steelers will be in somewhat of a rebuild mode after this season. I don’t see Ben coming back, then you have Villanueva, Conner and Juju that could easily leave via FA along with Mcdonald, and Dupree. Ebron would likely be released. I don’t know if they invest that heavily in him as much as I’d love to see him retire a Steeler
As much as I hate to admit it, you’re probably right. We have little financial room to spare and it might be better to take a season off and revamp our offense. We should draft Ben’s replacement and sign a veteran mentor to ensure said rookie develops properly.
We have enough talent at wideout to replace JuJu, but Villanueva’s substitute will be more difficult to find. At the very least, our defense should be mostly intact. I believe Dupree’s production is mostly a byproduct of playing next to Watt. However, Heyward won’t be easy to replace. On the other hand, we should have much more cap room by 2022. That way we could spend big on someone like JJ Watt or Chandler Jones to anchor the defense.
It’s going to be a rough couple of transition years, but better to recognize the end of our contention window before it’s too late. We just need to keep our head up and focus on the future
I think you hit pretty much all the nails on their respective heads. Dupree is finally starting to come along, but I don’t expect production to the level of last year’s. He did finally show an ability to finish at the end of his rush, which was lacking. I give Heyward and Tuitt a lot of credit for occupying blockers and aiding that.
However I believe, as a non-Steelers fan, that Cam Heyward’s tenure is tied directly to Ben’s. As long as Roethlisberger is there, the Steelers are in contending mode, and as such should try and extend Heyward. As far as his mindset (and not his body) go, I believe Ben has said that he’d play two more years. I don’t think Heyward is looking for a one year deal, but he might take a three year deal (which practically end up being one or two in the NFL, which is one reason players don’t like them) if the Steelers choose to go that way. It would likely involve a good amount of guarantees to lure him away from free agency. I don’t think that this is likely, however.