Long-time Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward made some waves late last week when he suggested that it was a possibility that he could leave the Steel City after nearly a decade and a half and potentially join the Steelers' bitter AFC North rival, the Cleveland Browns. Heyward noted that both he and his wife Allie — a Cleveland native — still have family in Northeast Ohio, and that he has spoken with her about a potential change of scenery after the 2024 season.
Now before Steelers fans freak out too much, Heyward did acknowledge, “I don't even know which way to even lean,” and this came a week after he claimed he wanted to be “a one helmet guy.” Fortunately for all of the folks out there wearing black and yellow, Cameron Heyward reiterated his desire to remain in Pittsburgh on Sunday in a social media post that doubled as a Father's Day shoutout.
“The goal is to be a Steeler for the rest of my career,” Cameron Heyward wrote, per Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. “Anyways on a more important front, Happy Father’s Day y’all.”
Now for all we know, Heyward could just be angling for one last short-term payday before he calls it a career, using the possibility of joining Cleveland of all teams as bait to ensure the Steelers pony up the right kind of offer. The 2024 season will be his fourteenth in the league, so it's not as if Heyward's NFL career will last much longer, but he has made it clear he intends to play beyond the 2024 season.
Cameron Heyward's Pittsburgh Steelers legacy
As previously mentioned, the 2024 season will be Heyward's 14th season with the Steelers. He'll become just the 10th player in franchise history to play at least 14 seasons in Pittsburgh. Eight of those other nine players — Mike Webster, Hines Ward, Donnie Shell, John Stallworth, Larry Brown, Mike Blount, Terry Bradshaw, and Ernie Stautner — have already been inducted into the Steelers Hall of Honor, with two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's induction likely coming sometime in 2025 (the Steelers require that players have been retired for at least three seasons before their induction).
There's good reason to believe that someday, Heyward will earn this distinction as well, whether he leaves for Cleveland in 2025 or not. He's a six-time Pro Bowler, a four-time All-Pro, and his 80.5 sacks are tied with James Harrison for second-most in team history, trailing only his teammate TJ Watt, who has 96.5 and counting in just seven seasons (only Reggie White and DeMarcus Ware notched more sacks in their first seven NFL seasons than Watt has). So don't be too surprised when both Heyward and and the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year runner-up someday join the Steelers Hall of Honor — and in Watt's case, the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well.
