Last offseason, as he signed a new contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cam Heyward apparently told team brass that after he had an All-Pro season, he would be back at the negotiating table for a new deal.
Heyward made true on his prediction in 2024 and earned first-team All-Pro honors for the fourth time in his career, all 14 seasons of which have been with the Steelers.
But through the offseason and first few weeks of training camp, a new deal for Heyward has yet to materialize. The 36-year-old has been off to the side during much of the team drills at camp, while still maintaining a presence during individual work – what has been dubbed, in the NFL world, as a ‘hold in.’
Heyward’s current deal, which includes the 2025 and 2026 seasons, calls for him to be paid $29 million total.
“Honestly, I’m looking to be valued,’ Heyward said. ‘ … I know what I bring to this team and what I’m capable of on and off the field. It’s hard for me, after the year I’ve had, to justify playing at the number I’m playing at.
‘To be completely honest with you, I told them, ‘When I have an All-Pro year, expect me to come back (to the negotiating table).’ And you can look at the contract and see what it was. I think everybody kind of giggled a little bit. But in my head, I used it as my motivation to go out there and prove it.’
Heyward had eight sacks and broke up 11 passes (a career high) last season to go with 20 quarterback hits. The Ohio State product and 2011 first-round pick said that he made his request for a new deal in February. When asked whether he would consider missing regular-season games to receive a new deal, he replied: ‘There are definitely options out there that could reflect that.’
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin didn’t seem concerned with Heyward’s request and incomplete participation.
‘Cam’s been doing this a long time,’ Tomlin said. ‘I don’t work Cam a lot in these scenarios anyway.’
It has been an impatient offseason for Heyward, who in March complained on his podcast about the lack of movement when it came to the Steelers signing quarterback Aaron Rodgers.