Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward is entering the final year of his contract, which has prompted the five-time Pro Bowler to think about free agency. It even made him briefly think about the Cleveland Browns.

Operative word: briefly.

Heyward skipped Steelers organized team activities last month, but he was present for the club’s mandatory minicamp and was asked about what’s ahead.

He seemed to understand that his future in Pittsburgh was not guaranteed.

“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, via Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. “If that is what is needed to be done, then so be it.”

Then Heyward took it a step further: he mentioned the possibility of joining the Browns, the Steelers’ hated AFC North rivals.

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

Heyward seemed pretty serious in his declaration at the time, but perhaps it was just a veiled threat to Pittsburgh. In other words, “pay me.”

At this point, it seems like it’s the latter.

Unless Heyward is merely trying to do damage control, he just squelched all of the Browns talk on social media, telling a fan that his wife turned green at the mere thought of her husband playing in Cleveland.

Well I guess that settles that then, doesn’t it?

The idea of Heyward joining Myles Garrett along the Browns defensive front is certainly tantalizing. Garrett wreaks enough havoc on his own. Imagine having Heyward in the trenches with him, as well?

But apparently, imagining the possibility is all we will be able to do.

That being said, stranger things have happened in the NFL. If the Steelers decide they don’t want to commit to Heyward beyond 2024, perhaps the Ohio State product will ultimately decide to take his talents to Believeland.