The Pittsburgh Steelers have already gone through a ton of changes during the 2026 offseason, but there might be more coming as several players are facing crucial decisions when it comes to their future. Aaron Rodgers could still return as the team's starting quarterback in 2026 if he does not decide to retire, and the same goes for defensive tackle Cam Heyward. Heyward is still playing at an All-Pro level, and unlike Rodgers, he is under contract for the 2026 season. He could make a big difference for the defense in Pittsburgh, and losing him would create some issues for the organization.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA.
Heyward is 36-years old, and it would be completely reasonable for him to decide to retire. However, he is playing some of the best football of his career. He is still one of the best players on Pittsburgh's defense, and his presence is felt in nearly every game, especially against the run. He is under contract for one more season, and on the most recent episode of his podcast, Not Just Football, he had Joey Porter Sr. as well as NFL insider Dianna Russini.
Russini was discussing Mike Tomlin stepping down as head coach, and she asked Heyward whether or not that would make him want to hang it up and call it a career. Porter then stepped in with some secret information about Heyward.
"You see the way she went in on that?" Porter asked. "But man, you didn't get that knee all fixed for nothing."
There were no further specifics provided, but it was clear that Heyward had some sort of procedure done on his knee after the 2025 season ended. Porter was making the point that he wouldn't have gotten it fixed so quickly had he not been planning on coming back in 2026. Heyward seemed a little thrown off that Porter threw that out in the open.
"D*mn." Heyward said. "You just going to air that out too now?"
Porter made a lot of headlines from his appearance on Heyward's podcast, and his comments about Ben Roethlisberger and James Harrison went viral. Now he is breaking some news about Heyward, who could be gearing up to return in 2026.
Taylor Ollason / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) during a regular season matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens.
Heyward could have had a lot of things done to his knee, but the most likely is that it was just a knee arthroscopy to clean it up a little bit. Those surgeries are minimally invasive and take up to six weeks to heal. Heyward was not seen at the Super Bowl wearing any sort of knee brace, so it is safe to assume that is the procedure he had done.
Getting it done as soon as the season ended allows Heyward to have as close to a full offseason as possible without being injured, which would allow him to workout and train. This is a sign he could be coming back in 2026, but his level of play over the last two seasons makes it hard to believe that he would walk away from the game now.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Cam Heyward and Derrick Harmon celebrate a big play during a home game in 2025.
Steelers' Would Benefit Greatly From One More Season Of Cam Heyward
Pittsburgh needs Heyward on the field because of his performance, but also because of his leadership and mentorship. He can show former first-round pick Derrick Harmon the ropes, which will only help him develop into a better player. Another thing to consider is that the Steelers do not have a ton of depth on the defensive line, so the organization would have to draft a defensive tackle relatively high in an attempt to replace Heyward. This would hurt the offense as that side of the ball is going to need to be built up through the 2026 NFL Draft.
What do you think about this exchange between Porter and Heyward? Is Heyward going to come back? Let us know in the comments below!
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