Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro defensive tackle Cam Heyward put out a blunt message to Aaron Rodgers earlier this week. Basically saying, you're either in or you're out on being a Steeler.
"I ain't doing that darkness retreat. I don't need any of that crap," Heyward said on his Not Just Football podcast. "Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or you don't. That's simple, that's the pitch. If you want me to recruit, that's the recruiting pitch. Pittsburgh Steelers — if you want to be part of it, so be it. If you don't, no skin off my back."
Cam Heyward clarified his comment during an interview with Rich Eisen on Friday. He doesn't believe he put the four-time league MVP on notice.
"Everybody gave me crap. They said I called him out,' Heyward told Eisen. "I don't think I really called him out. I just said I wasn't going on a darkness retreat to recruit him. But if he wants to be a Steeler, he can be a Steeler. That's the pitch. I don't know why everybody thought, 'Oh Cam's really going at him.' Some fans felt, 'Oh yeah, keep doing that,' and the other fans felt like, Oh man, you're really gonna scare him off.' I'm not scaring anybody off. I just wanna win games and play good football."
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 20, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
After meeting with Omar Khan, Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith for six hours on Friday, Rodgers left the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex without a contract . The next steps in his process remain frustratingly unclear.
Rodgers has been holding up — some would say holding hostage — the offseason process of not just the Steelers but several other teams while waiting to make a decision on the multiple pending offers in front of him.
Heyward is not sweating that Rodgers left the Steelers facility without a deal, however.
"Plenty of people who show up and then don't get signed," Heyward said. "I'm not putting stock in that; that's not my decision. Omar, Mike, y'all handle that. Y'all figure it out."
If Rodgers does end up in the Black and Gold, Heyward said he would welcome him just like any other free agent.
"Anybody who signs, I welcome to the team. I don't have an ego and think we can't win with a guy," Heyward said. "I get excited for a team. You bring in a guy like that, he's got good knowledge of the game. I think he can only help."
Heyward would like for the decision to be made sooner rather than later. He's just tired of hearing about the endless chatter of the Steelers' quarterback situation.
"I just want to play football. I'm tired of talking about the quarterback situation. I'd rather have it done," Heyward said. "I don't know what ends up happening. I'm ready to move on in free agency."
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