Seeing as how he's entering the final year of his contract in 2024, the future of Pittsburgh Steelers star defensive lineman Cameron Heyward is up in the air. However, we did get some clarity on what both sides want on Thursday.
After the first training camp practice on Thursday, Heyward made it clear that he wants to stay in Pittsburgh beyond 2024, but he also wasn't shy about saying that he would play elsewhere in 2025 if the Steelers don't want him back.
“I want to be here, but a lot of football to be played," Heyward said. "If they believe in me and think I can play more, so be it. But if they don’t, I’ll go somewhere else.”
Following those comments, Steelers general manager Omar Khan was adamant that the franchise wants to keep Heyward in Pittsburgh.
"I'll leave it at this: I expect him to be here for years to come," Khan said.
Cam Heyward again reiterates that he wants to play multiple more seasons and he hopes it’s with the Steelers but that he’s prepared to play a elsewhere if it comes to it pic.twitter.com/f7lLLRvPzG
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) July 25, 2024
That is obviously a great sign for Heyward's future with the Steelers. If things were as murky as we all thought, Khan would not have been that definitive with his answer.
But that doesn't mean extending Heyward won't come without some risk. After all, he's coming off a season where he was slowed by injury and he just turned 35 in May.
Now, to be fair, Heyward has rarely missed time due to injury during his career, but it should also be said that you can start throwing the past out the window at Heyward's age.
Whatever the case may be, Khan's comments bode well for Heyward's future with the Steelers. We'll see if the two sides can get something done.
