Cameron Heyward loses his cool over Browns rumor he started

It's often said when there's smoke, there's fire. Rarely do rumors ever start from nowhere, even though NFL players, coaches, and general managers typically pretend they do. And when it comes to Cameron Heyward of the Pittsburgh Steelers and a desire to one day play for the Cleveland Browns, it's easy to see where that story got its legs — from Heyward himself.

The Steelers star defensive end has spent his entire career in Pittsburgh, dating back to 2011. However, he doesn't have a deal beyond this year, and while he's not ready to call it a career, he also understands the franchise might be prepared to move on.

Heyward spoke to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic about his status and said he was warming up to the reality that he might need to play elsewhere.

“I have talked to my wife (Allie), and we know the reality, and we have had those talks, and she said it could be fun to play somewhere else,” Heyward said per Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. “If that is what is needed to be done, then so be it."

He went a step beyond this and even pointed to the city of Cleveland, where he and his wife have family.

“I still have family in Cleveland … my wife is from Cleveland. We will see. I am not trying to think about all that right now.”

Not long after his own words were referenced, Heyward tried to shrug it off with a GIF saying he was good. That didn't end speculation — which makes sense considering he said what he said — and eventually, Heyward decided to send a stronger message. Now he not only claims he doesn't want to go to Cleveland but says it was "a joke in passing" and added that his wife "almost threw up" when she saw what he said.

In the end, Heyward would probably prefer to play for the Steelers. That's the one team he's known and by all accounts, they appear to treat their players very well. But pretending there was an actual physical reaction to your own proclamation that Cleveland was a viable option just screams petty.

But at the same time, the Browns would have no room for Heyward on their roster anyway. So maybe her reaction was due to the thought of him sitting on the bench behind Myles Garrett instead of taking on blockers so T.J. Watt could get free passes at the quarterback. That makes more sense than being mad that people heard exactly what you said.

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