On the eve of the season opener, the Pittsburgh Steelers and defensive lineman Cameron Heyward agreed to a revised contract, league sources told The Athletic.
The restructured deal adds more than $3 million in new-money incentives this season. The 36-year-old All-Pro can now make up to $18 million in total compensation in 2025 and will play in Sunday’s game against the New York Jets.
The Steelers, historically, have been reluctant to touch contracts that have more than one year remaining, and they rarely give out incentives to non-quarterbacks. The team compromised with its long-time defensive co-captain to get the deal done at the eleventh hour. Heyward has already been paid his $13.45 million roster bonus and is set to make $1.3 million in his base salary during the season. The term on his contract has not changed; he remains signed through the end of the 2026 season.
With the deal done, the Steelers and Heyward can focus on the Jets. That wasn’t necessarily the case earlier this week. Though coach Mike Tomlin and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin expressed optimism, Heyward made his situation sound more uncertain when he spoke to reporters about it Friday.
“I wish I had a straight answer for you right now,” Heyward said. “All I can tell you is I’ve had to have a lot of tough conversations with my family. There’s a place for everything.”
To understand the unique context, you have to start last offseason. Heyward had one year left on his contract — a time when the Steelers typically like to negotiate extensions. The team approached the veteran lineman and asked him to take a pay cut. At the time, Heyward had little leverage. He was coming off an injury-marred 2023 season, during which he was limited to 11 games. When he was on the field, he was clearly less than 100 percent, playing through a core muscle injury suffered during training camp, as he tallied two sacks and 33 tackles (six for loss).
Last year’s negotiation lingered through training camp; it wasn’t until just days before the season opener that Heyward agreed to a revised three-year, $45 million contract that runs through the end of the 2026 season.
“I understand that I signed a contract last year,” Heyward said in early August. “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 did exactly that, earning All-Pro recognition at 35 years old. Among interior defensive linemen, he finished the 2024 regular season tied for sixth in sacks (eight), fourth in pressures (56, per TruMedia) and fourth in tackles for loss (12). He also had two more batted passes (11) than any other defensive lineman.
On the previous deal, Heyward would have been the 22nd highest-paid interior defensive lineman on a per-year average ($14.5 million), according to Over the Cap. If Heyward hits all of his incentives he’ll be the 17th-highest paid at his position, just ahead of the Buccaneers’ Vita Vea ($17.75 million), the Vikings’ Jonathan Allen ($17 million) and the Bills’ Ed Oliver ($17 million).
“I have to make a decision for my family,” Heyward said on Friday. “This is a business. I cannot play this game forever. Just like I’m maximized on the field, I want to be maximized outside of it. I want to be taken care of that way. It’s not being greedy. It’s just the way this game is. It’s ‘Not For Long.’ NFL. I would tell every guy, maximize your opportunities.”
Heyward began to bring attention to his contract situation during training camp by sitting out of team periods. After participating fully for the first couple of practices, Heyward dialed back his participation and only worked during individual periods. Aug. 19, Heyward still didn’t have a deal in place but returned to practice. He had his normal workload this week as the Steelers prepared for the Jets.
(Photo: Joe Sargent / Getty Images)
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