No movement has been made since Steelers Wire reported in June that contract negotiations between defensive lineman Cam Heyward and the Steelers were at a standstill.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Heyward’s agent Michael Perrett said there have been very general discussions about the lineman’s future but “in no particular terms”.
“I thought we’d be further along in the process. In a normal year, we might be,” Perrett told ESPN. “The current situation [with the pandemic] has led to a lot of uncertainty, but NFL business is still moving forward. Cam would love to retire a Steeler, but at this point, he just doesn’t know how all of this is going to play out.”
Historically, it’s been Steelers policy not to deal with contracts in-season, so August will be a pivotal month for negotiations.
Heyward’s base salary in 2020 is $9.5 million (16th among interior linemen), which will count $13.2 million against the cap, the fifth-highest behind Ben Roethlisberger, Bud Dupree, David DeCastro and Stephon Tuitt.
Generally, the front office mediates extensions of key veterans already under contract right before the season (Joe Haden last September and Stephon Tuitt in 2017). It’s likely that should Heyward and the Steelers not agree to a contract extension before September 14, one of two things will happen: The franchise tag or free agency.
Since entering the league, Heyward stats have been nothing short of impressive. The three-time Pro Bowler has 397 tackles, 54 sacks, 30 pass deflections, six forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. Among interior linemen, Heyward’s 29 sacks since 2017 put him behind only the Rams Aaron Donald.
Heyward is among a laundry list of 2021 free agents, including wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, running back James Conner, linebacker Bud Dupree, offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva and cornerback Mike Hilton.
