Mark Madden: Giving Cam Heyward a contract extension not worth the risk for Steelers

Optimism is running riot during Pittsburgh Steelers OTAs, and why not? No results are compiled that refute. Standings aren’t kept. So, enjoy!

But the NFL is a passing league. The Steelers’ weakest spots are wide receiver and cornerback.

That’s OK. The Steelers have the genius of Oppenheimer at offensive coordinator. He’s going to implement new and inventive ways to hand the ball off, and it will be the ’70s again before we know it. Hangin’ out, down the street…

Justin Fields appears to think he’s legit competing for the starting quarterback job. Has he been lied to? Has Russell Wilson been lied to? Does the truth depend on who it’s being told to? Coach Mike Tomlin brags about lying to the media. Lies are easier when told in bulk.

But the big story at OTAs is the man who isn’t there: defensive lineman Cam Heyward.

Heyward is due $16 million in salary this season and carries an onerous cap hit of $22 million.

He played just 11 games in 2023, missing six because of injury. He had just two sacks. His performance was meh. He had major surgery on his groin and core after the season.

Heyward is lucky he hasn’t been released, or that the Steelers haven’t asked him to take a pay cut.

Heyward is 35. Signs strongly point to Heyward being, to put it charitably, past his prime.

But Heyward is no-showing OTAs with the intent of getting a contract extension. Not voidable years to balance out his cap hit, but more money. Like he’s somebody worth keeping for three more seasons, which is how much longer he reportedly wants to play.

To give Heyward one dollar more on top of what he’s already owed would be insanity. It wouldn’t be worth the risk.

But the Steelers might do it. It’s a soft organization, and Art Rooney II is a soft owner.

It doesn’t matter at all that Heyward won Walter Payton Man of the Year for community impact. It wouldn’t matter if he’d won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Heyward’s leadership often is cited. But what’s his leadership resulted in? In 13 seasons, Heyward has played in one playoff victory.

This isn’t about sentiment. This isn’t about intangibles. It’s about putting money to the best use possible for the football team. That’s not by giving more to Heyward.

Rooney II wants to run the Steelers like grandaddy and daddy did.

Well, before he got old and infirm, Dan Rooney never would have given Heyward more money. (BTW, grandaddy should exit that equation. When Art Rooney Sr. ran the Steelers’ football operations from 1933-68, they made the playoffs just once. He was incompetent.)

The Steelers bullied better players than Heyward when doubts were raised about how much they should be paid and how much they could still help: Franco Harris, Troy Polamalu, Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward.

Sure, the Steelers are weak on the defensive line. Heyward’s part of that. But if they’re going to be frantic about holes in their depth chart, more concern should be paid to wide receiver and cornerback.

Heyward is getting tetchy about his situation, blasting the media about supposed untruths being told.

But it doesn’t matter who did or didn’t get told about Heyward not being at OTAs. Whether Tomlin knew or not.

It’s of no consequence that Heyward isn’t there. Heyward is a 13-year NFL veteran. He doesn’t need OTAs. (Nobody does, really.)

What matters is where Heyward’s stance goes from here and how the Steelers react. Will Heyward skip mini-camp? Will he be a “hold-in” come training camp? That strategy often makes the Steelers crumble. Heyward did it before and succeeded.

It’s hard to imagine that, if push comes to shove, Heyward won’t just play out his contract and take the $16 million he’s owed. He’ll never make $16 million in a season again. (The Steelers are crazy to pay him that. They should cut that figure. Too bad for Heyward.)

If Heyward plays, stays healthy and has a great season, he can get a big payday then. Just maybe not in Pittsburgh.

Heyward has the power of his podcast behind him.

Now that he’s got a podcast, Heyward thinks everything he says on it should be considered the absolute truth. Because he’s the direct source.

But lies get told on podcasts all the time. An athlete always says what makes him look best, and that’s even easier when he’s holding the microphone.