PITTSBURGH — Who knows if Cameron Heyward means it?

But with each passing day without an extension for the most tenured player on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Heyward has made it clear that he knows his time with the only organization he has known could be coming to an end. Either that, or he’s playing the contract extension game the way he has played defensive tackle the past decade — with tenacity and ferocity.

The Steelers’ three-day minicamp came to a close Thursday, wrapping up the last of the team’s offseason workouts. Unhappy with the lack of movement toward a contract extension, Heyward skipped all offseason workouts before showing up for the third and final week of OTAs even though he could’ve easily skipped the voluntary practices.

“That’s captain activity right there,” fellow defensive tackle Keeanu Benton said. “This is what he lives for. He lives to play ball, and this is his team. He is the captain of this team. Showing his face and him coming in and working is more credibility than him just saying, ‘I’m Cam Heyward.’ The rookies see what he does and how he works.”

Without any significant movement in extension talks, Heyward has accepted the real possibility that he will hit the free-agent market in March, and thus potentially sign elsewhere.

PITTSBURGH — Who knows if Cameron Heyward means it?

But with each passing day without an extension for the most tenured player on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Heyward has made it clear that he knows his time with the only organization he has known could be coming to an end. Either that, or he’s playing the contract extension game the way he has played defensive tackle the past decade — with tenacity and ferocity.

But with each passing day without an extension for the most tenured player on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Heyward has made it clear that he knows his time with the only organization he has known could be coming to an end. Either that, or he’s playing the contract extension game the way he has played defensive tackle the past decade — with tenacity and ferocity.

The Steelers’ three-day minicamp came to a close Thursday, wrapping up the last of the team’s offseason workouts. Unhappy with the lack of movement toward a contract extension, Heyward skipped all offseason workouts before showing up for the third and final week of OTAs even though he could’ve easily skipped the voluntary practices.

“That’s captain activity right there,” fellow defensive tackle Keeanu Benton said. “This is what he lives for. He lives to play ball, and this is his team. He is the captain of this team. Showing his face and him coming in and working is more credibility than him just saying, ‘I’m Cam Heyward.’ The rookies see what he does and how he works.”

Without any significant movement in extension talks, Heyward has accepted the real possibility that he will hit the free-agent market in March, and thus potentially sign elsewhere.