Cam Heyward won’t commit when asked if he’s going to play in Week 1 matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets
He’s not writing anything in stone.
If you thought the Cam Heyward’s contract dispute was over, you might have another thing coming.
A team captain yet again in 2025, the vocal leader returned to practice in full capacity over 10 days ago, signaling what many believed to be the end of his hold-in with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
However, when asked if he was sure to be out there come Sunday against the New York Jets, Heyward wasn’t so sure.
Cam Heyward says ‘we’ll see’ about playing Sunday
“Nope, nothing to talk about,” said Heyward when asked by his podcast co-host if he had any contract updates. “We’ll see,” added Heyward when asked if he would be out there on Sunday.
All of this stems from an Adam Schefter report during training camp, which stated that Heyward’s lack of practice participation was due to his desire for a revised contract. Remember, Heyward signed an extension around this time last year, but after having the best season of his career, he came back to the table in search of a deal that paid him his worth.
To this point, the Steelers have not been willing to oblige.
“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.”
In all honesty, I would be floored if Heyward, after doing all this practicing, decided to sit out the season opener. After being named captain yet again and participating fully in recent practices, “we’ll see” feels like a last shot at pushing the Steelers for a new deal.
But that doesn’t mean all of this will quietly go away. Even if Heyward does play the whole season, he will be back looking for more in 2026.
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