The Steelers' busy offseason included one last surprise to close the month of June: a trade for Jalen Ramsey.
Ramsey is the headlining piece of the deal, but not the only part of it. In order to acquire the seven-time Pro Bowler, Pittsburgh had to give up safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in a swap that also brought tight end Jonnu Smith to the Steel City and involved an exchange of Day 3 picks.
Veteran Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward rode a bit of an emotional roller coaster upon learning the details of the trade.
"The way it came out, I thought we were bringing Jalen in for just a pick, and I was like, 'Oh yeah, hell yeah. I love this,'" Heyward said during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show. "And then I found out it's a trade with Minkah, and I'm like, 'Damn, you're taking away a guy that has really meant a lot to our group.' So I was a little bit bummed about it.
"But you look at what Jalen brings to the table, there's no [shortage] of talent there. Jalen is a ball-hawking DB that can play corner. He can play slot. He can play safety. His versatility makes him very, very great in our defense. Week in and week out, you look at him, and he's taking receivers out of the equation. I loved looking at those battles of him and DK (Metcalf) all those years ago. It's nice to have both of those guys on our sideline now, and now they can go out and wreak a lotta havoc on both sides of the ball."
Pittsburgh paid a significant price in the form of Fitzpatrick -- a five-time Pro Bowler and frequent playmaker over the course of his six seasons spent with the Steelers -- in order to acquire Ramsey. But the team also added a defender in Ramsey whose versatility was needed in the secondary and tossed another former Pro Bowler in Smith on top of the deal to sweeten its haul.
It was the latest sign that the Steelers are all in on 2025, likely the only season they'll have with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Although they lost a stalwart difference-maker in Fitzpatrick, they replaced him with a veteran talent in Ramsey who should strengthen their secondary, gave offensive coordinator Arthur Smith a proven tight end to deploy in his offense and continued to load up ahead of what will undoubtedly be an important campaign.
Ramsey comes with slight concerns. He's known as somewhat of a mercurial individual who carries a high price tag, but in order to finally end their eight-year playoff victory drought, the Steelers need the emotional fire Ramsey brings to a defense.
Heyward is prepared to accept Ramsey for who he is because he knows what he could do for their defense.
"Just talking to Jalen so far, Jalen just wants to play ball. Jalen wants a chance to compete at the highest level," Heyward said. "We're gonna do whatever we can to foster that. We're gonna put him in the right situations.
"Sometimes, coaches kind of run from those situations and say, 'Man, that guy can be a headache.' It doesn't matter if a guy is a headache, we can still win with a guy and he can be a part of it and be a positive contributor. I think sometimes you've got to welcome what all a player brings because that's what makes a good team. It's not like all good teams never have headaches or all good teams never have players that are different. Man, you've gotta let players be the players, go out there and try to mesh as a team."
On paper, the Steelers have improved their standing. They've added Rodgers, Smith, receiver DK Metcalf, traded away an occasional headache in George Pickens, swapped Fitzpatrick for Ramsey and have reason to feel encouraged entering 2025.
One essential piece, however, isn't guaranteed to be part of the equation. T.J. Watt is entering the final year of his deal and hasn't yet received the raise his counterparts have accepted elsewhere, resulting in what has become a prolonged contract dispute between future Hall of Famer and club.
Heyward knows how important Watt is to the Steelers' chances in 2025 and is hoping that continues.
"Man, that's my brother. I want that dude to get paid what he deserves," Heyward said of Watt. "That dude is one of the most fierce and best players in our league and he's respected throughout the league. … I've had the best time being able to play with him, and I hope this year is not the last time we play together because that dude, that's my running mate. We've created a lot of havoc together and I just want to see that guy continue to be a Pittsburgh Steeler and be a one-helmet guy."
With Watt's contract situation unresolved, trade speculation has unsurprisingly gained steam. Heyward, however, refuses to accept such an outcome.
"I'm going up to (Steelers general manager) Omar (Khan) and I'm telling him, 'That's not happening,'" Heyward said. "If there's even a trade that gets up there, I don't think it helps our team to trade a guy like that."
This offseason, Pittsburgh has proven it's not afraid to pick up the phone and field offers. While it might not make logical sense to trade Watt, it remains a possibility, even if it would contradict everything else the Steelers accomplished while gearing up for 2025.
With new faces filling out a roster built to win now, Heyward knows the Steelers need Watt in the fold. We'll see if that's the final deal they strike to complete their active offseason.
