PITTSBURGH — Cameron Heyward will complete a decade of service with the Pittsburgh Steelers this season. The team’s president and controlling owner would like the team’s defensive captain around for the start of a second.
In an interview with the Tribune-Review on Wednesday, Art Rooney II called keeping Heyward with the Steelers in 2021 “one of our priorities.”
The Steelers’ first-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Heyward is entering the final year of a six-year, $59 million deal he signed in 2015. He has a $9.5 million base salary this season, and his contract counts $13.25 million against the salary cap.
Heyward, 31, has made the Pro Bowl in each of the past three seasons, and he has been named a first-team All-Pro twice in that span.
“No doubt, Cam has been an outstanding player for us on and off the field,” Rooney II said. “What he means in the locker room is tremendous. That is why we’d love to keep him, extend his contract. Whether it’s before the season or after the season, he’s going to be one of our priorities to make sure he’s next year as well.”
The Steelers hoped to extend Heyward earlier in the offseason, but that plan was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic that has slashed revenue streams across the NFL. The $198.2 million salary cap this year, instead of increasing in 2021, could go as low as $175 million.
The Steelers already have a $189 million earmarked in salaries for 2021, and they likely would have to restructure contracts or cut veterans in order to fit a Heyward extension into the budget.
“There’s no question there have been some unusual challenges going into this season with contract situations,” Rooney said. “I would be lying if I said it didn’t factor into where we are this year. Like a lot of things, it’s been a challenge, it’s been different.
“We just have to do the best we can with the situation we have to work with.”
An extension this summer remains possible, although the Steelers have a policy of ceasing negotiations once the regular season begins.
“We left the door open,” Rooney said. “If we can do some business, we will. I never try to speculate specifically or comment on negotiations with any particular player. We certainly left the door open here to see if anything can get done.”
The Steelers also would have a window to negotiate next offseason before free agency begins in March. Another option, albeit an unlikely one given the salary cap situation, would be using the franchise tag on Heyward. The tender amount for a defensive end in 2020 was $17.788 million. For a defensive tackle, which is Heyward’s roster designation with the Steelers, the tender amount was $16.126 million.
The franchise tag was how the Steelers retained outside linebacker Bud Dupree this offseason. Keeping Dupree was called a “high priority” by coach Mike Tomlin in January, and Rooney backed up that sentiment.
Unless Heyward is extended within the next 12 days, Rooney will be faced with a similar dilemma in keeping another productive defensive player in Heyward while facing an uncertain economic climate in the NFL.
“Everybody will be facing the same kind of challenges,” Rooney said. “We don’t know what the cap exactly will be. We know what the floor will be. We know it’s going to be a challenge. We have to get through this season first.”
Rooney wouldn’t address the contract situation of head coach Mike Tomlin, who is signed through 2021 with an option for the 2022 season. Tomlin usually gets extended when he has two years left on his contract. Last year, however, he received just a one-year extension with the 2022 option.
“The only thing I can say is we are very happy with Mike as our coach and look forward to him continuing beyond this season,” Rooney said. “We don’t like to get into that business and discussion his contract publicly, but we’re very happy that Mike is our coach, that’s for sure.”
