The Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 NFL season has come to a close. Because the Steelers are among the 31 teams who did not finish fulfilling their ultimate goal, they are in the process of wrapping up their season and moving forward into 2024.

Since the Steelers conduct exit interviews with all their players, and the fact I have done these articles in the past, we thought we would do the same here at Steel Curtain Network. By outlining two players each day, we will be able to look at their season in retrospect as well as looking toward the future. Since Coach Tomlin has previously stated he starts his interviews with rookies and those heading into free agency, we will attempt to do the same to some degree. To start, we will pair the most recent draftees with another player at the same position (if possible) as we work through this process to eventually cover the entire Steelers roster.

Next up are veterans Cam Heyward and Patrick Peterson.

Cam Heyward

Position: Defensive Tackle
Years with the Steelers: 13
Years in the NFL: 13
Contract Status: Signed through 2024
Contract Details: $22,406,250 salary cap hit for 2024. Would cost the Steelers $6,406,250 in dead money if released and save $16,000,000.
Games played in 2023: 11 regular season
Games started in 2023: 11 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 443 (defense), 57 (special teams)
PFF score: 73.1 (25th of 130)
Notable stats: During the regular season, Heyward had 33 tackles, 2.0 sacks, and one pass defensed.

Notes: Fresh off his Walter Payton Man of the Year award, Cam Heyward is actually coming off of one of his least productive seasons in recent years. The biggest reason was Heyward missed six games and probably returned to the lineup much sooner than he should have based on the extent of his groin injury. Breaking his streak of six-straight Pro Bowl seasons, Heyward will turn 35 this offseason and has questions looming about how much longer he will continue to play in the NFL. Heyward‘s contract currently has the largest salary cap hit of any of his 13 NFL seasons. With such a big number, the Steelers could look to extend Heyward knowing full well he won’t play out his entire contract.

Patrick Peterson

Position: Cornerback
Years with the Steelers: 1
Years in the NFL: 13
Contract Status: Signed through 2024
Contract Details: $9,775,000 salary cap hit for 2024. Would cost the Steelers $2,925,000 in dead money if released and save $6,850,000.
Games played in 2023: 17 regular season
Games started in 2023: 16 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 1,096 (defense), 77 (special teams)
PFF score: 58.9 (86yh of 127)
Notable stats: During the regular season, Peterson had 42 tackles, 11 passes defensed, and 2 interceptions. According to Pro Football Reference, Peterson surrendered 4 touchdowns and was targeted 64 times with 38 completions for a 59.4% completion percentage.

Notes: There are some very intriguing questions when it comes to Patrick Peterson and his future with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Transitioning to safety when the Steelers had a need, Peterson might have found a place where he is better suited to play at the end of his career. But the biggest question with Peterson looms with the amount of money tied up in his contract for a player that might not be full-time anymore. There are several ways that Steelers could go with things with Peterson for next season, so right now the biggest thing for Steelers fans to do is to simply wait and see how the team decides to play things..

Make sure you check back each day for another set of exit interviews. If you have missed any of the previous articles, they are listed here:

Broderick Jones & Chuks Okorafor
Joey Porter Jr. & Levi Wallace
Keeanu Benton & Montravius Adams
Darnell Washington & Rodney Williams
Nick Herbig & Markus Golden
Cory Trice Jr. & James Pierre
Spencer Anderson & Dylan Cook
Kenny Pickett & Mason Rudolph
George Pickens & Miles Boykin
DeMarvin Leal & Armon Watts
Calvin Austin III & Allen Robinson
Connor Heyward & Godwin Igwebuike
Mark Robinson & Blake Martinez
Najee Harris & Jaylen Warren
Pat Freiermuth & Diontae Johnson
Dan Moore Jr. & Mason Cole
Isaiahh Loudermilk & Larry Ogunjobi
Pressley Harvin & Christian Kuntz
Kwon Alexander & Mykal Walker
Miles Killebrew & Elijah Riley
Chandon Sullivan & Darius Rush