Steelers and Cam Heyward finally put their swords down on the eve of the season, but it wasn’t exactly what he had in mind
A resolution nonetheless.
It’s been weeks since the news first broke that Cam Heyward’s lack of participation in Pittsburgh Steelers training camp was due to his wanting of a revised deal. A head scratcher at first, when you really break it down, you can see that Heyward, coming off an All-Pro season and one of the best of his career, had a leg to stand on.
So he asked for a revised contract, or in other terms, a raise. The Steelers had been hesitant leading up to Saturday night about doing that. Heyward went as far as to say that he wasn’t sure if he would play on Sunday, despite his coaching staff remaining adamant that he would play.
Well, Heyward and the team have come to a resolution, and it is technically a raise, but I’d venture to say incentives are not what Heyward had in mind.
Steelers, Cam Heyward agree to revised contract.
“The Steelers and seven-time Pro Bowl DL Cam Heyward agreed to terms on a revised contract for 2025, adding $3.2 million in incentives tied to playoffs and playoff wins, sources tell The Insiders,” wrote Tom Pelissero of NFL Network on X-Twitter. “Heyward can now earn close to $18M. He’ll start Sunday against the Jets.”
Look, if this means everyone can put their swords down and go into Sunday fully focused, then it’s obviously a win-win for all parties. But let’s be clear here. For one, Heyward had been practicing in full for weeks. The idea that he would miss the opener was always far-fetched.
Beyond that, this is not a raise. This is like being in sales and working on commission. Or being told if you reach a certain quota, you get a certain dollar amount. Only, this is slightly worse because Heyward can have the best season of his career, but if the team falters, he doesn’t see an extra penny, because the incentives are tied to the playoffs.
All he has wanted is to be paid among the top at his position, not the 22nd best.
“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.”
We’ll see if that motivation comes out against the New York Jets.
