Cam Heyward finally gave an answer to the question that has followed him into another season: how much longer does he see himself playing? The Steelers defensive tackle addressed it on his Not Just Football with Cam Heyward podcast, giving fans a pretty straightforward look at what he has in mind for the years ahead.

The episode featured Ben Skowronek, Mason Rudolph, Cole Holcomb and Payton Wilson. What started as typical teammate banter eventually landed on Heyward. The group asked him point-blank how many seasons he thought he had left in him.

“Cam Heyward, how many more do you have? Do you think you have this year or next?” to which Heyward responds, “I have this year or next.”

He agreed to two years, and that answer carries real weight because Heyward is already locked in with Pittsburgh through 2027. The Steelers added a year to his deal back in March, a two-year contract worth $32.25 million with $16.25 million fully guaranteed. The move also means he could finish his career having spent all 15 seasons with the franchise that drafted him in the first round back in 2011.

Rudolph, the Steelers quarterback, then shifted the mood by talking about what Heyward has meant to the team and the people around him. It was a rare sentimental moment on a show that usually leans much lighter.

“We’ve given you a lot of crap, but you are first class and an incredible leader for our team and have been for a long time,” Rudolph said.

Heyward wasn’t exactly eager to sit through it. He pushed back on the emotion.

“I don’t like when you start getting sentimental.”

Heyward’s 2025 season gave Pittsburgh little reason to ease him out. He played all 17 games and finished with 78 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, nine quarterback hits and six passes defended. That extension came off the back of a season that earned him second-team All-Pro recognition from the Associated Press.

There is also a personal milestone within reach. Heyward sits at 92 career sacks. Eight more puts him at 100. Only one other Steeler has ever gotten there. T.J. Watt became the first in franchise history to hit that mark during the 2024 season, bringing his career total to 115 sacks.

The workload has stayed pretty much the same. Heyward played 71% of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps in 2025, exactly matching his number from the previous season.

That kind of consistency has allowed the Steelers to keep counting on him while also bringing along the younger players behind him. With Heyward still in the middle of the group, Pittsburgh has some time to prepare for what the defensive line will look like once he is no longer there.

Where Heyward Fits Into Pittsburgh’s New-Look Defensive Front

This season also gives Heyward a chance to adjust to a new voice on defense. Patrick Graham has taken over as defensive coordinator, while Mike McCarthy replaced Mike Tomlin as head coach after Tomlin’s 19-year run with Pittsburgh came to an end in January. The coaching staff around him is also new territory. For the first time in his career, Heyward is learning a different defensive philosophy under a new staff in Pittsburgh.

The younger guys on the line still lean on him too. Derrick Harmon is heading into year two. Keeanu Benton has grown into a bigger role and has had Heyward in his corner since arriving as a rookie in 2023. Early in Benton’s career, Heyward was sharing health and recovery resources with him directly.

That relationship goes beyond football. When Heyward signed his current extension in 2024, he made clear he wanted his entire career to stay in Pittsburgh.

“There are certain guys who are one-helmet guys. I want to be one of those one-helmet guys,” Heyward said.

Staying multiple more seasons would also put Heyward on a path to finish his career among a short list of Steelers legends who never played for another franchise, a group that includes Hall of Famers Dermontti Dawson and Troy Polamalu, the latter of whom Heyward has cited as a direct mentor during his early years in the league.

For now, Heyward heads into the 2026 season chasing both a personal milestone and a clearer sense of when his playing career will actually end, giving Steelers fans a defined runway to appreciate one of the most durable players in franchise history before he eventually hangs up his cleats for good.