The Steelers don’t negotiate once the season starts, so they are running out of time to get an extension worked out with defensive captain Cam Heyward.
Heyward, 31, enters the final year of his deal due to make a $9.5 million base salary. He is in his 10th season since the Steelers made him a first-round choice, and Heyward hopes to finish his career in Pittsburgh.
But without an extension, Heyward admits his future is unknown.
“Y’all know where I stand,” Heyward said Monday, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “I want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler. I want to lead this team to a Super Bowl. But we’ll see where we are. I love my team. I love my teammates. I love this city, the coaches. And I love being a Pittsburgh Steeler.
“But you’ve got to take two to tango. I want to be here and I just have to see what happens. There’s a couple more weeks before the season, and all I can focus on is what I can control and we’ll leave it at that.”
Heyward has watched as Chris Jones, Myles Garrett and Joey Bosa have signed contract extensions recently. He did not hide his frustration Monday.
“I know dealing with the coronavirus definitely halted a lot of things, and early on we set dates to talk and we went past those dates,” Heyward said. “It’s pretty uncertain right now. I don’t know what to think. At the same time, I see a lot of my teammates in the past have done it, but I know NFL business is moving forward. You see guys getting their contracts resolved. I want to have faith, but I’m going to be ready to play either way.”
Heyward was first-team All Pro in 2017 and 2019 and has made three consecutive Pro Bowls.