Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward returned to practice Tuesday, ending a hold-in that spanned nearly two weeks amid his contract negotiations. But according to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, his participation does not signal any steps toward a new deal nor his acceptance of playing on his present contract.
Reporters watched Heyward participate in individual practice periods, and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said after the session that the star lineman also participated in team drills.
Heyward has two years remaining on the contract he signed last summer, which also came after he sat out of practice, and he is set to make $14.75 million this year and $14.5 million in 2026. A flurry of high-profile signings this offseason reset the defensive line market, though, and Heyward is already in search of an amended deal to reflect his value in the new landscape.
Cam Heyward contract update: Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay urge Steelers owner to ‘stop playing’ and get deal done
Carter Bahns
With the regular season less than three weeks away, the clock is ticking on the negotiation process. It took until September last year for Heyward and the Steelers to reach an agreement, and the 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year said he is prepared to sit out into the regular season if that is what it takes to get a new deal done.
“Honestly, I’d love to be valued,” Heyward said this week. “I know what I bring to this team and what I’m capable of, on and off the field. So, it’s hard for me to, after the year I’ve had, to really justify playing at the number I’m playing at.”
Working in Heyward’s favor is the fact that he produced a first-team All-Pro season in the first year of his current deal. He backed up his demands last fall with one of the best years of his career, matching his personal best with 36 tackles and amassing eight sacks. He also batted down a career-best 11 passes.
Two of Heyward’s teammates, Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay, stood by his side during the negotiations and called on Steelers leadership to meet his demands.
“We can’t wait to be on that field with you Week 1 after everything goes down, everything gets situated,” Ramsey said on Heyward’s podcast, Not Just Football. “We need all of y’all out there, man. I got a lot of respect for you, [Steelers general manager] Mr. Omar [Khan]. You’ve taken care of me, T.J. [Watt], Slay. Cam is next. We excited, man. We’ve got potential to do something great if we’ve got all our guys out there happy and feeling like they’re valued.”
Offensive teammates Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf also appeared on Heyward’s podcast and jokingly jabbed the Pro Bowler over his hold-in.
“Everything’s not about you, bro,” Metcalf said.
“Exactly, yeah,” Rodgers said. “It’s all about you and your money.”