The Pittsburgh Steelers are just days away from their 2025 season opener against the New York Jets. While fans are getting pumped up for Aaron Rodgers' revenge game against his former team, a concern lingers in the back of our minds—will Cameron Heyward sit out in Week 1?
This is a worry that head coach Mike Tomlin attempted to suppress in his Tuesday press conference, when he assured the media that Heyward would be suiting up. But just before this, Heyward was asked if he would play, and his 'we'll see' response was a bit concerning.
Now ESPN insider Dan Graziano continues to push the Heyward speculation forward.
“This could get resolved before Sunday's opener, and the relationship between the team and their 14-year veteran mainstay is strong enough that it's hard to imagine him sitting out the game," Graziano said regarding Heyward's contract situation. "But as with any player, his leverage only increases if he forces the team to confront life without him—especially with rookie first-rounder Derrick Harmon set to sit out Sunday's game because of an injury. The Steelers probably could resolve this by adding some cash and reachable incentives. Until then, it's worth keeping an eye on.”
Graziano doesn't believe this feud has been settled yet, and he admits that Heyward holds leverage in the situation. The Steelers need a strong start to the season, and they will already be without rookie defensive lineman Derrick Harmson for the first few weeks of the season.
The question is: where do things go from here?
The Pittsburgh Steelers should throw Cameron Heyward a bone before the start of the season
The Pittsburgh Steelers gave Heyward a two-year contract extension just last offseason, so we know they aren't obligated to come to the table to rework the deal. At the same time, we know that Heyward grossly outplayed his contract value last season.
Heyward wants to be paid like a top player at his position, but the Steelers won't grant that request this year. Perhaps they could meet somewhere in the middle.
Even though Heyward agreed to a deal—one that he probably had no business signing in the first place—Omar Khan and the Steelers could throw him a bone by giving him a pay increase.
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The San Francisco 49ers just did something similar with wide receiver Jauan Jennings. Just days before their first game of the 2025 season, the 49ers added a $3 million play-time incentive to Jennings' deal.
The Steelers typically avoid adding incentives to contracts, but perhaps a one-time pay increase would be sufficient to appease Cam Heyward and focus his attention on football rather than his contract situation. Fans want this resolved. Let's hope it doesn't impact his status for Week 1 against the New York Jets.