Cameron Heyward only sure extension candidate among Steelers entering final contract year
In the aftermath of the 2019 season, Pittsburgh Steelers players were reluctant to talk about 2020.
Let alone 2021.
But for a handful of starters, 2021 is when their current contract expires. And with the way the Steelers do business, that makes the coming months a potentially critical period of their careers.
The Steelers’ policy for players they want for the long term is to give them contract extensions a year before their current deals expire. This spring, that means starters such as Cameron Heyward, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mike Hilton, Alejendro Villanueva, Matt Feiler, James Conner and Mark Barron.
The end of 2019 still fresh, players who spoke earlier this month had little taste for looking ahead.
“Not at all,” receiver Smith-Schuster said when asked if he was considering his contract situation. “Just doing what I’m told, just trying to get healthy for the next season and just trying to help the guys.”
The Steelers rarely allow productive homegrown players in their prime to enter the final season of their contracts. Although they recently did that with Le’Veon Bell, Ramon Foster, Bud Dupree and Javon Hargrave, each had an extenuating circumstance.
In Bell’s case, it was because of a negotiation impasse. For Foster, it was because he was well into his 30s. In Dupree’s case, his production called for a one-year “prove-it” situation rather than a longterm deal at this point last year. For Hargrave, his role with the Steelers never was going to mesh with what his value likely is on the open market.
The extension candidate list for this offseason is lengthier than usual, but that doesn’t mean all will enter serious negotiations with the Steelers. Inside linebacker Barron, who turns 31 later this year, and left tackle Villanueva, who turns 32, are old enough to make the Steelers wary of a longterm commitment.
Hilton, it could be argued, is similar to Hargrave in that his role (62.5% of the snaps played this season, mostly as the nickel DB) might not warrant a lucrative long-range commitment. Conner’s extensive injury history might give the Steelers pause, as could his position (running backs are viewed by some as expendable).
Smith-Schuster is a fascinating case because, at 23, he is one of the more recognizable players in the league, and he already has a season in which he finished in the top six of the NFL in catches and receiving yards. If Smith-Schuster had duplicated his 2018 stats in ‘19, he likely would have been looking at a nine-figure deal, and the Steelers likely would have been happy to give him one.
But after a lackluster season of 42 catches, 552 yards and three touchdowns — one affected by injury and poor quarterback play — how can the Steelers consider such a gaudy contract now? But how can Smith-Schuster and his agent let themselves be lowballed either?
Feiler also is an interesting case. He has been solid since taking over at right tackle early in the 2018 season. But with the offensive line possibly due for changes, he could move to left guard. Even if he doesn’t, Zach Banner is looming as an intriguing alternative at right tackle.
Extension makes #Steelers end @CamHeyward (Heyward) defense's highest-paid player, @C_AdamskiTrib writeshttp://t.co/BDvUEME8VH
— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) July 18, 2015
That leaves Heyward, who is about as close to a lock to sign an extension as anyone. A high-character defensive captain who is productive on the field and coming off arguably his best season at age 30, he almost certainly earned a third contract from the Steelers — even if he wasn’t willing to acknowledge it when he spoke after the season ended.
“It’s never a guarantee,” said Heyward, a first-round pick in 2011 who signed a six-year, $59 million deal in 2015. “I don’t know where I even stand next year. I’m an older guy, and this is a young man’s game.”
Heyward reiterated what he said before: He would like to play for the Steelers his entire career. Hilton concurred.
“Of course I want to be here. We all want to be here,” he said. “But no one knows for sure what’s going to happen. We’ll see. I hope things work out.”
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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