Omar Khan offers glimpse into the future for Steelers DL Cam Heyward

The talk of the 2024 offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers was focused around the quarterback position, and rightfully so. After a failed attempt to replace Ben Roethlisberger with Kenny Pickett, fans are hoping that Russell Wilson or Justin Fields could be the replacement for the position. Meanwhile, fans were eating up any and all rumors regarding potential trades for a wide receiver.

Lost in all of this is Cameron Heyward's sticky contract situation. The long-time Steelers defensive lineman is entering a contract season and has been adamant that he will not take a pay cut.

Heyward believes he's one of the top players at his position. This left the Steelers front office in a conundrum: do they overpay to keep an aging star or turn the chapter on his career in Pittsburgh?

We now have an answer. Omar Khan addressed the media after the first Steelers training camp practice on July 25. As soon as he opened up for questions, the general manager addressed Heyward's contract situation.

"I don't want to talk about a specific negotiation, but I think Cam [Heyward]'s got a lot of football ahead of him still. I'll leave it at this: I expect him to be here for years to come."

- Omar Khan, via Pittsburgh Steelers

While Khan wouldn't go into specific details, he made it clear that Heyward is part of the team's future plans. We don't know exactly what this looks like, but Khan fully expects Cam Heyward to be with the team for 'years to come.'

Steelers prepared to overpay to keep Cam Heyward in 2025 and beyond

One thing that has never changed about the Pittsburgh Steelers is their love for hanging onto legendary players. Heyward is entering his 14 seasons with the team. During his career, the big defensive lineman earned six Pro Bowls and three First-Team All-Pros. Following the 2023 season, Heyward was named the Walter Payton Man of the Year.

Because of his accomplishments in Pittsburgh, there's no question that the Rooney family wants him to finish his NFL journey where it all started. This is what fans want. The problem is that this means the Steelers are preparing to overpay to keep him around in 2025 and beyond.

While Heyward may still prove to be a quality player in his old age, the 35-year-old is bound to see a decline in his performance on the field in the final years of his career. Yet Heyward has not budged on the asking price. He knows his worth, and he's not giving Pittsburgh a discount.

Just like the Steelers were forced to overpay to keep an aging Ben Roethlisberger, they will have to do the same if they are indeed set on having Cam Heyward finish his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

This team has dozens of free agents set to hit the market during the 2025 offseason, including James Daniels, Donte Jackson, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Najee Harris, and Pat Freiermuth. Though they are projected to have roughly $68 million in effective cap space to work with, they won't be able to retain everyone.

Heyward is coming off a down season, as he missed the first half of the year with a groin injury. If Omar Khan does expect him to stick around for years to come, let's hope he's able to avoid the injury bug. Either way, we are likely looking at the Steelers overpaying the aging defensive lineman to make this happen.