Cameron Heyward’s days with Steelers numbered after Chris Jones deal

Chiefs star defensive lineman, Chris Jones, received a massive contract extension. Here’s why a market reset at the position means Cameron Heyward’s days are likely numbered with the Steelers.

After his first Pro Bowl season in 2019 at the age of 25, Chiefs star defensive lineman, Chris Jones, is quickly resetting the NFL market for interior defenders. Jones received a 4-year, $80 million extension from the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. If he hits his incentives, Jones could earn as much as $85 million over the next four seasons. This isn’t good news for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

As you probably already know, star defensive lineman, Cameron Heyward, is entering a contract year with the team. Though Heyward is six years older than Jones, there is plenty of reason to believe he will receive a similar contract offer.

For starters, Heyward has an even more impressive track record that consists of three Pro Bowls and two first-team All-Pro honors over the past three seasons. He is coming off arguably the best season of his NFL career in 2019 as he earned the second-highest interior defender grade, according to Pro Football Focus – falling just behind the great Aaron Doland.

After a relatively slow start to his NFL career that kicked off all the way back in 2011, Heyward has since exploded onto the scene and is now widely considered one of the top three or four interior defenders in all of football.

While it’s terrific that he is doing this as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, it may not remain that way for long. Heyward is entering a contract year as the 6-year, $59 million deal he signed back in 2015 is finally coming to a close. Obviously, Heyward has vastly outplayed his worth. The problem is, he could be sporting a different uniform in 2021.

The Steelers are in a poor situation financially, and thanks to players like DeForest Buckner and Chirs Jones resetting the defensive lineman market, Pittsburgh simply may not have the finances to keep Heyward around. Though older than Buckner and Jones, Heyward has a more impressive resume than either and is arguably the most established interior defender in the league outside of Aaron Donald. His contract could make him one of the highest-paid defenders in the league.

Though keeping Heyward will no doubt be a top priority of the Steelers, they don’t hold much leverage. At this point, there is no incentive for the All-Pro defensive lineman to sign an extension with the team that drafted him back in 2011. While Pittsburgh could theoretically use a franchise tag on him, players like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Bud Dupree also have contracts that are set to expire after the 2020 season.

The Steelers won’t have a lot of money to work with next season, and if the cap goes down they could be in trouble. Either way, extensions to the magnitude that Chris Jones recently received are further evidence of why it will be incredibly difficult for Pittsburgh to keep a player like Cameron Heyward.