Contract Talks Quiet for Heyward as Steelers Defense Approaches Possible 'Last Hoorah'

The Steelers know 2020 could be the final run for this defense.

PITTSBURGH -- Cameron Heyward is one of several Steelers entering the final year of his contract. The defensive captain is entering his tenth NFL season by finishing his six-year, $59.2 million contract.

Heyward ties with names like Bud Dupree, Matt Feiler, JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner, and others, as last year players in Pittsburgh. Before any new contracts are signed, the team is expected to hand out $187 million in contracts to their existing roster, according to Over The Cap.

The league could lose more than $5.5 billion in revenue this season if they play without fans. For the Steelers, that could add up to $156 million, which would dramatically affect the salary cap for 2021. 

As of now, Heyward and the Steelers haven't agreed on a new contract following the 2020 season. Heyward said there was some early conversation, but it was more of a "wait here and see" situation prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"I think everything's been halted with the coronavirus. [It] definitely halted NFL operations, so we understand that," Heyward said in a conference call with Steelers media. "We understand that this is uncharted territory, but if football is gonna pick up, we have to be ready either way."

Heyward is hoping to land a new contract with the Steelers. He's understandable about the circumstances the team and league are in, but in the long run, the goal is to get a deal done. 

"I would love for it to get done, but obviously it hasn't," Heyward said. "There's not really much more that can go about with everything going on. I just have to be patient. Besides my contract, there's a lot of other people that have to get signed. Those rookies are still waiting. Things have to happen and they should, but I'll be ready either way. If I have to go in this year knowing that this might be my last year, so be it."

Facing the uncertainty of the future, Heyward knows this could be the defenses last run at a Super Bowl. A group that led the NFL in sacks and turnovers last season, there could be a chance 2020 is the final shot for this group to lead their team back to the postseason. 

"Whether it was COVID or not, we knew this team was not gonna be the same next year," Heyward said. "I stress that a lot, and this might be even more going forward, we got a great group of guys but some guys have outplayed their contracts and have to move on to greater pastures. That's just the way the game is, we've evolved to that. I want everyone to get paid as much as they can, they deserve it. So this last hoorah, or whatever it is, we've got to be ready for it."

Noah Strackbein is a Senior Writer with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.