Cam Heyward contract extension: Veteran set to hitch listing of standouts to play total profession with Steelers

Cameron Heyward spent his childhood within the NFL studying the ropes from Troy Polamalu, an all-time nice defender who in retirement has been inducted into the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame in addition to the Steelers Corridor of Honor. Polamalu additionally retired as a “profession Steeler,” a distinction that Heyward is ready to observe after he and the Steelers came to terms on a three-year contract extension. 

The deal runs by the 2026 season, and it is secure to imagine that the deal represents the length of Heyward’s embellished profession that features six Professional Bowls, three All-Pros and a Walter Payton Man of the Yr award. A shoo-in for future induction into the Steelers Corridor of Honor, Heyward can strengthen his case as a future Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame inductee throughout his ultimate seasons in Pittsburgh. 

Heyward is unquestionably hoping to test three issues off his listing: returning to his Professional Bowl type following final yr’s injury-marred season, profitable that elusive Super Bowl ring and retiring as a profession Steeler. 

The 2011 first-round choose is ready to hitch a reasonably notable listing of gamers who performed their total careers in Pittsburgh, a listing that features Corridor of Fame defensive deal with Ernie Stautner (the crew’s greatest pre-dynasty participant), eight of the crew’s 10 Corridor of Famers from the Seventies dynasty (together with Joe Greene, who performed Heyward’s place and is taken into account the best participant in franchise historical past), Corridor of Fame middle Dermontti Dawson (who performed from 1988-00) and Polamalu (2003-14). 

Together with becoming a member of these Corridor of Famers, Heyward can also be set to hitch a number of of his former teammates as profession Steelers. Two of Heyward’s defensive teammates from his early years — Casey Hampton and Aaron Smith — performed their total careers in Pittsburgh. Smith was inducted into the crew’s Corridor of Honor in the course of the 2023 season, and Hampton will obtain that honor this season. 

Standout offensive gamers from Heyward’s years in Pittsburgh who additionally retired as profession Steelers are receiver Hines Ward, eight-time Professional Bowl middle Maurkice Pouncey and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Heyward was a rookie in the course of the ultimate yr of Ward’s glittering profession that included two Super Bowl wins, a Super Bowl MVP and being solely certainly one of 9 gamers in NFL historical past with 1,000 profession receptions and 85 profession landing receptions. 

Ward, regardless of a Corridor of Fame-worthy profession, remains to be ready for his Corridor of Fame jacket. Roethlisberger, although, will probably be fitted for his jacket in 2027, the primary yr that he’s eligible for enshrinement. Whereas he was by no means an All-Professional, Roethlisberger achieved nearly every little thing else throughout his 18-year profession. He’s top-10 all time in profession passing yards, landing passes, wins for a beginning quarterback and is certainly one of 13 beginning quarterbacks to win a number of Tremendous Bowls. Roethlisberger additionally owns a slew of franchise data that embrace essentially the most video games performed for Pittsburgh (272, together with the postseason).

It seems that Heyward will be a part of this esteemed listing of gamers and can keep away from an equally spectacular listing of notable Steelers gamers who did not end their careers in Pittsburgh. That listing contains Corridor of Fame working again Franco Harris (whose quantity 32 was retired by the crew in December 2022, becoming a member of Stautner’s No. 70 and Greene’s No. 75), Corridor of Fame middle Mike Webster, Corridor of Fame defensive again Rod Woodson, exterior linebacker (and former Heyward teammate) James Harrison and former All-Professional receiver Antonio Brown, one other former teammate of Heyward. 

“There are specific guys who’re one-helmet guys,” Heyward said recently. “I need to be a type of one-helmet guys.”

Heyward is on his manner towards getting his want whereas solidifying his legacy as one of many franchise’s all-time nice gamers.