First Call: Mike Tomlin calms talk about Cam Heyward’s status; Terrell Edmunds ponders ‘package deal’ with brother
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Tuesday’s “First Call” checks on the future of Pittsburgh Steelers star Cameron Heyward. We also get an update on the NFL’s Edmunds brothers and their plans.
Gambling odds are already set for next year’s college football national championship game.
The Penguins have a pair of tricky Western Conference teams coming to town. And a former Penguins player is getting his own hamburger.
Cam can’t go!
Following Sunday’s season-ending win over the Cleveland Browns, Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward left his future open-ended.
That’s surprising, given that he has two more years left on his contract.
Cam Heyward on 2023:"I wanna take time to think abt what's going on.I'd love to be here but you never know what's going on in the future.I don't take this for granted. I'd love to be here,but you don't know the plans.But going forward, we gotta start fast.We dug too big of hole."
— Tim Benz (@TimBenzPGH) January 8, 2023
More Cam Heyward on '23: "You never know if they want me back or not. I dont take that for granted…I'd like to be back but you never know. It's the NFL 'not for long.' I want to be back. I would like to be a PGH Steeler still. But you don't know what's going on in the future."
— Tim Benz (@TimBenzPGH) January 8, 2023
Reporters tried to get Heyward to clarify his remarks. “I don’t know how to clarify. I’d like to be back, but you just don’t know. This game is always changing. I’m not holding anybody hostage.”
Heyward was asked, “You aren’t hinting at a retirement, correct?”
The former All-Pro laughed,”Let me let my body heal, guys.”
I’m still not sure what Heyward was getting at with his “I’m not holding anybody hostage” line. It was a lighthearted exchange with some laughs and no animosity. But I’m not sure if he’s concerned about a potentially complicated contractual restructure, or something to that effect.
During his season-ending press conference, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin tried to close any can of worms that Heyward may have opened.
“Cam is the same type of guy that will put a tape job with his last name on the front of his helmet (as a rookie might) in a training camp-like setting,” Tomlin said. “That’s what makes him who he is. He takes none of this for granted, and that’s just an expression of that. … He is special because he has a special approach, because he is legitimately humble and hardworking, and he takes none of this for granted. That’s probably what that was.”
And if Heyward was hinting at retirement, his own brother isn’t buying that.
“I honestly think he has three or four more years left. Maybe even more,” tight end Connor Heyward said Monday. “He loves the game of football. And he still has that edge. He’s one of the guys that I feel like wants to play the most.”
Heyward finished 2022 with 39 tackles and 10.5 sacks. It’s the third time in his career that he has gone over 10 sacks. Heyward is now 33 years old. He has 12 seasons under his belt.
Another brother
The Steelers already have the Heyward brothers. They have the Watt brothers too (T.J. and Derek). Now, what about multiple Edmunds players on the roster?
That used to be the case with safety Terrell Edmunds and running back Trey Edmunds. Terrell is still a Steeler, even if Trey is not. Although Terrell Edmunds is facing free agency.
A third Edmunds brother, Tremaine, is a linebacker for the Buffalo Bills. He’s about to become a free agent as well.
At 6’5”, 250 pounds, Tremaine Edmunds is bigger than the usual inside linebacker in the Steelers scheme. But in recent years, nothing else has worked when it comes to trying to replace Ryan Shazier, so why not try a player with the athletic gifts that Edmunds has and see how it goes?
“I think I could make a package deal, just for my family,” Terrell Edmunds said with a grin. “Because, you know, they split up for games and everything. To get my mom and dad to come to one home base every week, I’d do that. … Get the package deal right.”
Terrell Edmunds spoke to the media about free agency, the defense + more. pic.twitter.com/jPvYsftLmj
— Steelers Live (@SteelersLive) January 9, 2023
Then again, Edmunds didn’t exactly specify in which city that “package deal” would take place. Pittsburgh? Buffalo? Or elsewhere.
Tremaine is working off the fifth-year option of his first-round draft choice status in Buffalo at $12.7 million. Terrell Edmunds was allowed to test free agency by the Steelers, then was brought back before the start of this season. He signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Steelers. He had another very solid, consistent season in 2022.
Both brothers will be unrestricted free agents in the spring.
More Steelers
• Tim Benz: For Steelers, the ‘standard’ is now … pretty standard
• Alex Highsmith likely the lone candidate for offseason contact extension from Steelers
• Mark Madden: Mike Tomlin is ‘great’ just because. And that’ll have to do
Already onto the next
The ink isn’t dry on the box score of the University of Georgia’s 65-7 blowout of Texas Christian in the College Football Championship game.
But the Bulldogs win Monday night has propelled them toward being the favorites for next year’s title as well.
According to ESPN.com, the Bulldogs are +375 betting favorites to win the title again next season. They are followed by Alabama at +550 and Ohio State at +650.
Southern California, which returns Heisman winner Caleb Williams at quarterback, is the fourth favorite at 10-1 odds. Williams is the +550 betting favorite for next year’s Heisman award.
TCU is 40-1 next season and will lose quarterback Max Duggan, the Heisman Trophy runner-up.
ESPN’s numbers come from Caesars Sportsbook lead college football trader Joey Feazel.
We can sympathize
If anyone knows how tough it is to get stuck in a bad streak, it’s the Pittsburgh Penguins. They have endured losing streaks of six and seven games already this season.
The Vancouver Canucks can empathize. They started the season losing seven in a row. Since then, Vancouver has amassed a 17-14-1 record. They have 37 points, good for sixth in the Pacific.
Former Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford’s team visits PPG Paints Arena at 7 p.m. Tuesday night. Canucks forward Bo Horvat has 29 goals, tied for fourth in the league with Alex Ovechkin. Horvat scored twice against Pittsburgh on Oct. 29 when the Pens lost in British Columbia 5-1.
After the Canucks, the Winnipeg Jets come to town on Friday night. They have won five games in a row and have 53 points. That’s second best in the division behind the Dallas Stars (54 points).
New burger in the ’Burgh
Penguins star Sidney Crosby recently discovered that he was named an officer of the Order of Canada.
Pfft! Big deal. One of his former teammates, Colby Armstrong, just got an honor way more important than that.
The ex-Pens winger turned broadcaster is getting a hamburger named after him at “31 Bar and Grille” in Bridgeville. It’s owned by former Penguins goalie Ken Wregget and is unveiling the new menu item on Jan. 17.
The monumental announcement will be accompanied by live music, and proceeds from the evening will go toward the Pittsburgh Penguins Alumni Association. The former players serve as ambassadors for hockey by hosting events to raise money for charitable causes.
There is no word on the specifics of what makes Armstrong’s burger unique. However, if it doesn’t involve Colby or Colby-Jack cheese, that’s an obvious miss.