When Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward spoke to reporters late in the OTA phase of the offseason, he said he didn’t think an agreement on a new contract was imminent and it doesn’t sound like much has changed over the last few weeks.
Heyward skipped most of the voluntary portions of the offseason program because of his desire for a new deal and he didn’t have any positive update about where things stand during a Wednesday appearance on The Jim Rome Show. The Steelers have a policy of not negotiating extensions during the season and Heyward didn’t want to speculate on the chances that a new deal would be in place by that point.
“I don’t wanna say how likely something is ‘cause you just never know,” Heyward said. “Obviously, I would love to be a Pittsburgh Steeler for the rest of my career. Getting a contract would lay claim to that. My goal is to be a Pittsburgh Steeler this year and have a good year to hopefully come back and play more games with them.”
While Heyward’s choice is to stay in Pittsburgh, but “if it comes to it I will play in another city.” While discussing that possibility last month, Heyward mentioned having family in Cleveland but he said on Wednesday that he doesn’t think he could play for a Steelers rival with “such bad blood” if he does wind up moving on.