Steelers’ Cam Heyward backs off his contract stance after revealing comments from Mike Tomlin regarding recent practice
Seems like he’s moved on.
Cam Heyward made a ton of headlines in recent weeks when it was revealed that his lack of participation in practice was due to an ongoing contract dispute.
Unless Omar Khan gave Heyward the revised deal he has been seeking and didn’t tell Mike Tomlin about it, the contract situation is still ongoing, per the coach’s latest presser.
But according to Tomlin, Heyward’s hold-in is over. . .
Cam Heyward participates in individual, team drills during Tuesday’s practice
“He practiced in team drills too,” said coach Tomlin when asked about Heyward practicing in the individual portion of practice, which was open to the media. That statement proves Heyward, who took part in all forms of practice, which was padded, is back.
Heyward’s return comes even without the deal and amid what has been a pretty messy situation, even by Pittsburgh’s standards.
“I’m looking for my contract to be addressed. Honestly, [I’m] looking to be valued,” Heyward told Steelers media after practice last week. “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.”
With Chris Boswell kicking in last week’s game against the Bucs and Heyward now fully entrenched with his fellow defensive linemen, it seems the hold-ins that came out of nowhere are officially over in Pittsburgh.
But that doesn’t mean we have seen the last of these situations. Either the front office has assured these two that they will work something out the week before the season starts, or they have tabled conversations for 2026.
And if the latter is true, get ready for this drama to rear its head all over again.
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