(Image Source: Cincinnati.com)

BY ANDREW CARTER

ANCHOR BLAKE HANSON

Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receiver Hines Ward is willing to restructure his contract to remain with the team. The 14-year-veteran and career Steeler expressed this after NFL.com reported the team is planning on cutting their all-time leading receiver. Behind the Steel Curtain reacts.

“Would it seem weird for me to see Ward's famous smile under a different colored helmet? No doubt ... No matter where he finishes his career, Hines will always be a Steeler to me.”

Ward turns 36 next month, and is one of only two receivers to have multiple Super Bowls and 1,000 career receptions. There has been speculation if Ward would even consider playing for another team, but Pittsburgh Review Tribune writer Scott Brown tells ESPN he has no doubt.

“He has no intentions on retiring, so as weird as it would be for Steelers’ fans, if they don’t bring back Hines Ward they’re going to have to get used to seeing him in another uniform.”

What uniform could Ward be wearing come next season? The New England Patriots are known for picking up wide receivers at the tail end of their career, but the New England Sports Network says he isn’t on the Pats' short list.

“Sure, Ward would be a nice role player in New England, but he'd only be about Plan D. Plus, as experiments have shown with Chad Ochocinco, Joey Galloway and Torry Holt, the veteran additions don't always work out, regardless of a player's past success.”

In an era of free agency and rampant player movement, it’s not uncommon for stars to play out their last years for different franchises. After Ward posted his plea on his Facebook page to remain a Steeler, it’s clear he will have a solid fan base wherever he ends up. Pittsburgh Tribune Review reports.

“His popularity is such that, within an hour of posting his statement on Facebook, he had received more than 2,000 responses. By early evening, he had almost twice as many responses and more than 28,000 likes.”

Ward holds almost every Steeler receiving record, but based on playing time against the Denver Broncos in the 2012 playoffs, the Steelers showed young guns Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown are the clear successors to number 86.