Despite still being without a contract, veteran defensive lineman Cameron Heyward made his first appearance at OTAs.
Despite this, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Heyward are still far from reaching an agreement on a contract extension. Heyward, who turned 35 last month, is in the final year of a four-year contract extension he signed in 2020.
In addition to his age, one of the likely reasons for the trepidation stems from the serious groin injury he sustained in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers, which resulted in him missing six games due to in-season surgery. To his credit, Heyward was able to come back during the latter part of the season and help his team make the playoffs.
When talking to media, Heyward confirmed his goal to stay in Pittsburgh and his desire to be paid his value, which he continues to believe is as a top-5 player at his position when healthy.
"I’m looking to be here," he told reporters. "I want to be valued at my position. I think when I’m at the top of my game, I’m still a top-5 player at my position.”
Heyward may have many reasons to believe this. According to a recent Pro Football Focus ranking, Heyward was ranked sixth among interior defensive lineman for the 2024 season.
As it stands, Heyward plans on partaking in tomorrow's OTA session and the team's mandatory minicamp starting on June 11th. What remains in question is his participation in this year's training camp if he doesn't receive a contract extension at that point.
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