Steelers' Cameron Heyward makes one promise about uncertain future

In a piece published on June 14, Pittsburgh Steelers reporter Mark Kaboly of The Athletic raised some eyebrows when he suggested that longtime Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward could potentially retire as a member of the division-rival Cleveland Browns.

Heyward poured cold water over that idea this week.

"I would never want to play for not only a rival, but a team that's so close that there's such bad blood there," Heyward said during a recent appearance on "The Jim Rome Show," per Matthew Marczi of Steelers Depot. "I don't think I could do that. But my wife being from Cleveland was just not for it at all. I was like, 'Babe, I'm not going to Cleveland. You don't have to worry about that.'"

Pittsburgh made Heyward the 31st overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft, and he has earned six career Pro Bowl nods playing only for that organization. The 35-year-old is in the final year of his current contract and seemingly isn't close to inking an extension ahead of training camp. Meanwhile, the Steelers have a long-standing policy of not negotiating deals with players during campaigns.

Pittsburgh opens the upcoming season at the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 8.

According to Kaboly, Heyward mentioned while speaking about his uncertain future this spring that he still has "family in Cleveland." Heyward acknowledged during "The Jim Rome Show" segment that Steelers fans took that comment "very literal" and were "not too happy about" the perceived insinuation.

"When I was talking to the reporter at the time, it was more like, 'You know, I could play elsewhere. I've got family elsewhere. I've got family in Georgia. I've got family in Cleveland,'" Heyward explained.

The Browns-Steelers rivalry currently is not as one-sided as it was throughout much of the opening two decades of the 2000s, and both clubs participated in this past postseason. While Cleveland theoretically could give Heyward a chance to chase the Super Bowl ring that has thus far eluded him throughout his stellar career in 2025, it sounds like he has little interest in ever wearing orange and brown on a football field.