Pittsburgh Steelers fans can finally rest easy when it comes to the status of one of the team's best players. After months of back-and-forth contract negotiations, the Steelers and Cameron Heyward have reached an agreement on a revised contract for the 2025 season that added over $3 million in potential incentives.
Heyward was phenomenal in 2024, earning his fourth All-Pro honor. He understandably wanted a raise to reflect that after taking a modest $14.5 million salary on his two-year extension signed right before last season. While this new contract allows him to earn over $18 million this season, the nature of the incentives could leave him coming up empty at season's end.
The extra money added to his contract will only be paid out based on his and the Steelers' performance in the playoffs, according to reports. It's unclear as of writing how the incentives work exactly, but the fact that it isn't an outright raise feels like a clear loss for Heyward's camp.
Pittsburgh Steelers may not end up giving Cam Heyward a raise after all
If the new incentives were enough to get the Steelers captain back on the field, then it's a huge win for both sides, regardless of how likely they are to be hit. Still, it's hard to think that Heyward's threats to sit out were ever serious if that is all it took to get him back in the fold.
Even a true raise to $18 million would have been underwhelming given his impact last season, let alone incentives that seem far from a guarantee. The Steelers have playoff aspirations the same way they do every year, but the AFC is full of teams just as likely to make it.
If Pittsburgh does earn a playoff berth again this season, it's nothing new for a team that has made it there four out of the last five seasons. Winning a playoff game has been the issue, and doing so would be required for Heyward to earn the full amount of his new deal.
Perhaps tying his increased pay to playoff success will be the right motivation for both himself and his teammates, who no doubt want to see their veteran leader earn the money he deserves.
Either way, the important thing is that any doubt about his status for Week 1 against the New York Jets has been put to rest. Now, it's time for Heyward and the rest of his teammates to hopefully put all of their focus into beating the Jets on Sunday.