Cam Heyward does not plan to attend OTAs as he seeks a contract extension.

You compared him to past players in similar situations. Are you going through some memory issues? You can't even keep your own posts straight, much less anybody else's. Perhaps you should see someone about that.

 

I agree.

I can understand someone not thinking Cam is worth the money going forward if he pushes this notion of not taking a pay cut. What I can't understand is anyone thinking that someone that is a leader and has been a truly great player for a long time is lazy, not giving his all, or doesn't work out because he is doing interviews or a podcast. People have no idea how hard these guys work on their own time to be at the top of their game.

To even think that Cam Heyward is sitting around eating Twinkies and spooning peanut butter into his piehole while streaming all day is completely delusional. As you get older, you have to work much harder and eat better to retain as much of your abilities as possible. People simply can't comprehend the effort that goes into it if they have never played the sport at a high level.

Man, the ridiculous things that some people come up with while having zero understanding of what goes into being a veteran playing at a high level, or how the game of football and training for it is attacked by players that have been in the NFL with long, productive careers.

They have no clue.

 

Cam has been great for the Steelers! But he didn't have a good year.he was hurt some of the year. He is 35 father time is catching up to him.he should take what he can get.

 

What he can get is $16 million unless the Steelers cut him. That is why he has some leverage.

 

I don't think the last extension (not including the void year maneuver in 2021) was necessarily an overpay, it was the restructure in 2020 that pushed too much into money into the final two years, the latter (2021) saw his cap hit ballon to $41M.

The team made the mistake of not paying more attention to the offensive line as Ben wound down. It hurt both him and his replacement. Instead they doubled down on skill positions.

 

Come back stronger than what, 2023 or 2021? I definitely believe he can top 2023 numbers, and don't really expect that he be better than 2021. But that doesn't mean he's not capable of being productive, either.

For comparison, ere are Heyward's 17-game averages from the six-year span from 2017-2022, compared to the last six of Aaron Donald:

Solo tackles: Heyward 41 ... Donald 35
Assisted: 29 ... 27
TFL: 13 ... 19
QB Hits: 22 ... 28
Sacks: 9 ... 13
Forced Fumbles: 1 ... 3

Donald is slightly better, but Heyward isn't far off. And Donald took home two DPOY awards during that span. Comparing Heyward's six year average to Heyward of 2022:

Solo tackles: 41 ... 39
Assisted: 29 ... 35
TFL: 13 ... 14
QB hits: 22 ... 23
Sacks: 9 ... 10.5
Forced fumbles: 1 ... 1

You only see a significant drop in production if you count the numbers from last year, which I'm not because of the groin injury.

I don't think anyone is living in fantasy land expecting Heyward not to show the effects of time. And of course counting on any lineman to keep producing in their mid-30s is risky. But if he's fully healthy now there's reason to believe has still has gas in the tank.

 

Heyward has said he wants to play 2 to 3 more years highlighting the 3. Also said if it was here or elsewhere.

They can afford to pay him the 22 mill this season.

If they are in contract negotiations which their has been rumors they best give him a full physical and see where he stands.

At 35 coming off of a a major injury and last having surgery in February I would be cautious in giving him an extension.

Let him play it out and see where it goes is where i'm at. You can't open the vault. Rumor is 20 mill a season.

 

I was talking about Ben's last season in 2021, I don't know what the heck you're talking about in regards to 2018 .

 

Cam not attending OTAs will have no bearing on how many games he will play this season.

 

Cam isn't making 22 million this season, he's due 16 million for 2024, but his cap hit is 22 million.

 

You also have to remember the same people that have their panties in a wad over Cam didnt have a word to say when it was Keisel, Ben, pouncey, Troy… It’s nothing more than the typical faux outrage from the people that just have to complain about something

 

Thanks for the reply.

I would not compare aaron to cam on a 6 year. 3 year is better, because you're not pulling prime years in.

And you do have to include injury season into it.

Cams last 3 years was 45 games. Aaron was 44.
Cam..... Solo 117 .. AST 79 ... sack 22.5 .. ff 2
Stf 28 with 37 yards
Aaron... Solo 93 ... AST 95 ... sack 25.5 ... ff 5 ... stf 39.5 with 59 yards

So back to my question....can a 35 year old do what a 31 year old can...... and that's where I have not seen anyone On DL able to show that.

Lastly I'm just going to point out that when Cam was healthy last year, there was some drives he was not in on the play until he reached they end zone, or where he didn't come in on first and second down.

 

I am more concerned that Cam has not worked out at all this offseason at the Steelers facilities like he has done every year before this. The fact that Cam has never missed working out during the offseason with the Steelers in his entire career, and this year has just decided to skip everything has me worried. You would think he would be going to the Steelers facilities for his rehab treatments like other players who were injured.

 

Are you sure none of the people who have an issue of this didn't also criticize Roethlisberger? Were you and they even on this board when those others as they neared the ends of their careers? That would be pretty impressive if you remembered what everybody had to say about those guys. Polamalu and Keisel both last played in 2014.

 

Heyward was never healthy last season. Not once. He was injured in training camp and ripped the muscle from the bone just a few plays into the opener. He came back even though he wasn't fully recovered from an injury that required more surgery during the offseason.

No, most players won't be the same player at 35 that they were at 31, but Heyward had arguably the best season of his career at 32 and hadn't declined much at 33. Last season would be more appropriately referred to as a season ruined by injury than decline.

 

Link?

 

Eye roll. Maybe you’d rather we’d dumped Ben for someone like Josh Rosen.

 

Sure but to think he will come back this year at his age and miles and either not get injured again or have a steady drop off is just fooling themselves.

 

You make the argument for Cam actually worse.

 

Only in your mind. Heyward wasn't healthy last season, which opens the possibility he can rebound somewhat this year.

 

This is why I've argued that the only reason he should get an extension would be to reduce his cap hit for 2024, which is meaningless if they don't make a trade. There just isn't much left to spend on in free agency.

 

Ouch, that sounds painfull.

Does this mean you are For or Against the Steelers giving Cam an extension before they ever get to see him Practice or Play?

Something like, Come on Cam, get down in your stance and hit the sled 10 times and then we will talk extension.

 

I already answered that repeatedly. The only reason to extend him would be to reduce his cap hit for 2024.

 

I don't really consider much, if any, of Heyward's 2023 to be 'healthy'. It's pretty much a forgotten season, though I understand it's a different concern at 35 than 25.

That aside, if you want to focus solely on the past three years, and include 2023, I don't think you're strengthening much of a case aside from being able to point to a couple of successive years with diminished production. But again, that's more due to 2021 being a one of his best and 2023 being injury-riddled than straight-up loss of production.

From left to right below, his 17-game average derived from the past three years, his age-31 year (2020) that you mention, as well as 2021 and '22.

Solo........44 .. 30 .. 53 .. 39
Assisted.. 30 .. 24 .. 36 .. 35
TFL.........13 .. 7 .... 15 .. 14
QB hits....16 .. 19 .. 17 .. 23
Sacks......8 ... 4 .... 10 .. 10.5
FF...........1 ... 0 ..... 1 ... 1

I don't expect any more 2021s, but a healthy Cam I think is fully capable of exceeding 2020's numbers, and would be more on par with his three-year average.

 

I don't get it; why are you trying to push part of Cam's 2024 cap hit into 2025?

Are you thinking trade, or wanting to do something stupid with the current QBs? Hopefully the Steelers learned from Denver's mistakes of immediately resigning Wilson after trading for him. Hell I don't think they have spent Alex Highsmith's money yet