With the NFL salary cap increasing each year, players are entering uncharted territory with record-setting contracts. The latest positional group to reset the market was the interior defensive line. Now Pittsburgh Steelers fans have even more reason to be thankful for Cameron Heyward's discount deal.
On Monday, Dallas Cowboys star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams inked a three-year, $105.9 million contract extension. The new money average will earn him $35.3 million per season. This comes shortly after Titans star Jeffery Simmons earned $35.276 million per year and after Eagles' Jalen Carter earned an NFL record $38 million per season.
And just like that, Heyward feels like the ultimate discount for the Steelers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting a major discount with Cam Heyward compared to the top DL market
During the 2026 offseason, Heyward signed a one-year, $18 million extension with the Steelers, and between 2026 and 2027, he is earning just $18 million per season. The four-time First-Team All-Pro has a cap number of just $13.675 million this season that jumps to $23.475 million next year, per Over the Cap.
And it's hard to believe that Steelers fans were actually complaining about this deal just a short time ago.
We don't have to search far to see why this deal is justified. Heyward was the No. 1-graded interior defender in the NFL last season by Pro Football Focus, earning an outstanding 90.4 overall grade. The year before that, Heyward was the No. 2-ranked defensive tackle with a 90.1 overall grade. Heyward also ranked as the 39th-best player in the NFL on Pete Prisco's Top-100 list entering 2026.
Heyward was still dominant at the point of attack and when the run came to him. This is why we need to be careful not to look too deeply into raw statistics. In terms of sack production, Heyward didn't have much. Despite playing and starting all 17 games in 2025, Heyward recorded just 3.5 sacks and nine tackles for a loss.
Ironically, Williams—who just earned over $35 million per year in new-money average—recorded 2.5 sacks and 10 tackles for a loss in 15 games last season.
Part of the reason for Heyward's discount was due to his age. Now 37, it's possible that Heyward's performance could plummet in any given season. But this has not been the case so far. If anything, Heyward has only gotten stronger and harder to move off the line of scrimmage in his old age.
Even with his top-ranked PFF grade, I'm not professing that Heyward is better than players like Williams, Carter, and Simmons. But he's quite literally half the price. Sign me up for that any day of the week.
And if some Steelers fans didn't appreciate Cam Heyward enough before, they better appreciate him now to the fullest extent after the Quinnen Williams deal.
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