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The Pittsburgh Steelers locked in one of their key defensive players before the regular season, agreeing to a three-year contract extension with defensive end Cam Heyward. The deal includes $29 million in new money and $16 million fully guaranteed, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
“Heyward, 35, who had $16M left on the final year of his previous deal, is now under contract through 2026, allowing a long-time captain to retire a Steeler. His signing bonus is nearly $15M,” Fowler tweeted.
Heyward is entering his 14th season with the Steelers and has always mentioned that he wanted to end his career with the team.
“There are certain guys who are one-helmet guys,” Heyward said. “I want to be one of those one-helmet guys.”
Heyward has been big for the Steelers on and off the field, and with a contract extension, he'll continue to do the same thing for three more years.
Cam Heyward continues long career with Steelers
Cam Heyward has been a mainstay with the Pittsburgh Steelers and he has the stats to show why. In his career, Heyward has 647 tackles, 118 tackles for loss, 175 quarterback hurries, 47 passes defended, eight forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries, and two interceptions. He has 80.5 career sacks, tying with James Harrison for second in team history. T.J. Watt is first on the list with 96.5 career sacks.
Heyward has played in 194 career games while starting in 159 of them since 2014. The 194 games put him in seventh place on the Steelers' all-time list, and he has a chance to move to fourth place this season.
The Steelers have always been known as having a dominant defense, and Heyward has been the main reason for it. This season should be no different, and if the offense can keep up, the Steelers can be a team that once again makes it to the postseason under head coach Mike Tomlin, who has 17 straight non-losing seasons with the team.
