Hines Ward has played 14 years in the NFL and despite rumors circulating that he won’t be back for the Pittsburgh Steelers he stated the following message on his Facebook page; “I don’t normally like to respond to rumors, but as I’ve said all along, I want to finish my career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. And as I’ve already told the organization, I am willing to work with them to restructure my contract to make sure this happens,” Ward said.

Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports via a source “close to Ward” that no one from the Steelers has told Ward the team will release him.

Ward is owed $4 million dollars and while Jason La Canfora hinted that the Steelers wouldn’t even bring back Ward to training camp at minimum salary, that just seems too hard to believe.

Ward continued to state that he would be willing to restructure his contract to save the Steelers cap room.

The 35-year-old is the only player other than Jerry Rice to record 1,000 career receptions and win multiple Super Bowls.

“He sets the tone in the room,” Pittsburgh wide receiver Antonio Brown said of Ward. “We definitely want to help a guy like him win.”

There is no reason the Steelers shouldn’t bring back on of the staples on offense, even if it is just for leadership.

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