While Cam Heyward is under contract with the Steelers for 2026, a lot of issues remain unresolved—including whether he returns. According to Steelers GM Omar Khan, they haven’t fully discussed that just yet, but they will soon. It’s something that he mentioned multiple times during his media rounds at the Combine this past week.
“I met with Cam [Heyward] right after the season”, Khan told Rich Eisen. “It was obviously emotional because Mike [Tomlin] had just stepped down, and we agreed to speak in a few weeks. That’s coming up. He’s a Hall of Fame player”.
When Eisen asked if Heyward, then, was a player who was still on their radar, he said, “Absolutely”. Earlier, he told local media in a closed session they he believed Heyward is “still playing at a high level” and “would expect us to talk here soon”.
At 36 years of age, Cam Heyward confirmed he could still ball by making the second-team All-Pro List. Playing every game, he finished the season with 78 tackles, 9 for loss, with 3.5 sacks, 6 passes defensed, and 1 forced fumble. It wasn’t quite as gaudy as his output from the previous season, however, which earned first-team honors.
Going into last season, Heyward pushed the Steelers for a new deal with two years remaining on his contract. Khan and his front office refused to budge, but they offered him new incentives. He achieved neither of them, but even that was something of a concession on Pittsburgh’s part. Barring quarterbacks, and Antonio Brown, they absolutely do not touch deals before the final season.
Despite pushing for an extension last year, however, Cam Heyward could be weighing retirement. Even though there are clear hints that he intends to play for a 16th season, he hasn’t confirmed his plans. And if he decides to return, he’ll want to discuss his contract once again. Now that he is in the final year of his deal, he’ll be looking for a fresh extension.
As Omar Khan mentioned, Mike Tomlin resigned the day after Cam Heyward and the Steelers lost in the Wild Card Round. That threw the exit meeting process for a loop, and naturally would color any considerations about the future.
Heyward has never played for a head coach other than Tomlin. He probably thought in his heart that he never would, and he may decide that he doesn’t want to. But if he is willing to play for Mike McCarthy, what will that look like? He’ll certainly still be a starter, but they’ll want to give him more help. And how much more money are they willing to give a defensive lineman set to turn 37 in May?
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