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Steelers General Manager Omar Khan sounded confident Thursday that defensive lineman Cameron Heyward with be with the team long term. Heyward isn’t getting his hopes up.
“Am I confident?” Heyward said, via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I don’t like to go either way with that because you get your hopes up and something doesn’t happen. I’m just going to focus on being the best player I can be. This team needs my leadership and production and I look forward to doing it.”
Heyward has spent all 14 seasons in Pittsburgh, but he is in the final year of his deal. He wants an extension on a contract that pays $16 million this year, and he has said he wants to play another three years.
On Thursday, he again expressed a desire to finish his career with the Steelers.
“It’s my goal, but not everybody thinks like that,” Heyward said. “I want to be here, but there’s a lot of football to be played — this season and a couple seasons. But I can’t control that. I can only focus on what’s in front of me.
“I’m not going to get my hopes up either way. I’m not going to put stock in that. I’ll focus on the things I can control. I can be productive. I can be healthy. If they believe in me, if I can play more, so be it. If they don’t, I’ll go somewhere else.”
Heyward, 35, had only two sacks and 33 tackles in 11 games in 2023, missing six games after tearing a groin muscle. He is back healthy and ready for a bounce-back season.
“I feel good,” Heyward said. “My groin is great. I don’t feel any lingering effects of that. I feel excited just to be out here after dealing with what I dealt with last year. I was nursing [the injury] at training camp last year, so to be at full strength and not have to worry about it is really good sign for me.”
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/cameron-heyward-wants-finish-career-014520320.html
Author : ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports
Publish date : 2024-07-26 01:45:20
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