Which current Pittsburgh Steelers player has the longest contract? The answer is Cameron Heyward, who became the 31st overall choice in the 2011 NFL Draft and has been leading Steelers Nation for the past 14 years.
However, Heyward, who is currently 35 years old, is about to enter the last year of his deal.
The three-time All-Pro defensive lineman isn’t looking for a pay boost, but he would want greater stability in his finances with a contract extension.
The player who is second in team history with 80.5 career sacks is now threatening to play elsewhere next season, but the Steelers haven’t wavered up to this time.
“I’ve spoken with my wife, Allie, and we’ve discussed the situation; she mentioned it could be enjoyable to play somewhere else. We both know the truth. That’s fine if that’s what needs to be done. However, I’m still having fun on this journey this year. “My family is still in Cleveland. Cleveland is where my wife is from.
We’ll see. Right now, I’m not trying to think about any of that. All offseason sessions have been skipped by him, with the exception of the last week of optional training. But it’s a sign that Heyward wants to be a Steeler above all else.
Heyward will receive a $22 million cap hit in addition to a basic salary of $16 million this season. If Pittsburgh is interested, an extension may bring that number down, but perhaps they would rather accept the cap charge now and avoid problems on their future cap sheet. That seems to be the case thus far, but plans can alter at any time.
