Steelers’ Cam Heyward should be asking for an apology following his season-saving performance against the Baltimore Ravens
Cam Heyward rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way this offseason, but now we see why.
In 2024, Cam Heyward, coming off an injury-riddled 2023 season, went to the Steelers with one year left on his contract and asked for a new deal. The Steelers obliged just before the start of the season, and they ended up winning the deal as Heyward performed at an All-Pro level despite being in his mid-30s.
Fast forward to this offseason, and Heyward put the Steelers’ feet to the fire again, asking for a raise despite the fact that he just signed a new deal last offseason. That turned a lot of fans off, as the team captain held out of team activities in search for a higher payday despite having already made millions. Well, Sunday night’s game against Baltimore showed exactly why Heyward was right to ask, and why he’s owed an apology.
Cam Heyward’s game against the Ravens proves he was right to ask for a raise
“I’m looking for my contract to be addressed. Honestly, [I’m] looking to be valued,” Heyward told Steelers media on August 19th. “In my eyes. When I look around at my position, I think I’m like 22nd [highest paid] as a [defensive] tackle, and I’m 36th as a [defensive] lineman. I know what I bring to this team and what I’m capable of, on and off the field. So it’s hard for me after the year I had to really justify playing at the number.”
”I understand I signed a contract last year, but to be completely honest with you, when I signed that, I told them, ‘When I have an All-Pro year, expect me to come back.’ And you can look at the contract and see what it was, but I think everybody kind of giggled a little bit. But in my head, I used it as motivation.”
Well, fast forward nearly half a year later, and with the season on the line, Heyward didn’t play like the 22nd best defensive tackle; he played like the best in the league. He led the team in total tackles, he helped create the Steelers’ lone turnover, and he was a catalyst in the defense’s ability to bottle up Derrick Henry in the second half.
“We’re playing with house money. I don’t think anybody wanted us to be here. I don’t think anybody expected it,” said Heyward after the game via the Steelers YouTube channel. “I think the NFL definitely got its money’s worth with this game.”
Heyward was even a key cog in the offense’s ability to move the football, helping push his brother in a true form of the brotherly shove. He earned every single penny in the biggest game of the season, and he earned more than a few apologies from those saying he didn’t deserve a raise or that he wasn’t a team player.
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