After T.J. Watt finally inked a three-year, $123 million contract extension ahead of training camp, Pittsburgh Steelers fans assumed the team escaped contract drama. We were wrong. But it's not a player in a contract year who's looking for more money; it's a veteran who signed an extension just last offseason.
In 2024, Cam Heyward and the Steelers agreed on a two-year, $29 million extension. The long-time defensive lineman was entering his age-35 season, and many assumed his play would diminish quickly.
However, after stringing together an impressive All-Pro season in 2024, Heyward is pushing for more money.
“I understand that I signed a contract last year,” Heyward said, via Mike DeFabo of The Athletic. “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.’ … I think everybody kind of giggled a little bit. But in my head, I used it as motivation to go out there and prove it.”
Heyward wasn't finished.
“When I look at the market and I look at what I’ve done,” Heyward continued. “It’s hard to really wrap my head around playing at a number where I’m not even half of what the rest of the market is... Being respectful to the process of what both sides are trying to accomplish, I would definitely say that’s something similar I’m thinking about."
Heyward isn't wrong in saying that he's being underpaid in terms of market value. But there's only one person to blame for this whole contract fiasco, and that's Heyward himself.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans can't be upset with the front office for Cam Heyward's contract drama
We're already seeing plenty of fans and media members in Heyward's corner. They are quickly coming forward to remind us what Heyward has done for this team and why it's important to pay the man what he's due. However, the Steelers had just gone through contract negotiations last offseason, and nobody forced Heyward to put pen to paper on a two-year extension.
The Steelers took a risk, and it paid off. Many criticized general manager Omar Khan last year for giving Heyward nearly $30 million over two seasons because of his age and lack of production in 2023. The aging veteran was coming off a season in which he dealt with a groin injury and earned just two sacks, six tackles for a loss, and three quarterback hits in 11 games. Khan offered this deal with no guarantee that Heyward was going to be worth the money.
But now that Heyward feels he's outplayed the deal, he's turning around one year later and asking for more money—and not ruling out the possibility of sitting out games if his demands aren't met.
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What if the roles had been reversed? If the Steelers gave Heyward his two-year, $29 million extension during the 2024 offseason and he went on to have a bad year? Would Pittsburgh's front office be going to him, demanding a pay cut? Certainly not.
A contract is exactly that: it's a contract—a legal and binding agreement between two parties. It would be different if Heyward were in the final year of his extension, but he's not. The Pittsburgh Steelers have no incentive to cave to the 36-year-old's lofty demands.
We know that Heyward has accomplished great things over the years for this team, and he's coming off an impressive 2024 season. But he has nobody to blame for his contract situation but himself, and if Steelers fans want to point the finger at anyone, point it at Cam Heyward.