In the age of the “Nepo Baby” buzzword being thrown around superfluously online, Connor Heyward never got a fair shake from portions of the Pittsburgh Steelers fan base. The idea that Cam Heyward had anything to do with his brother earning a roster spot never held up. That’s not how the NFL works, especially for a player who was drafted late and lasted a full four-year rookie contract.
With Connor Heyward’s departure to the Las Vegas Raiders on a two-year contract worth $5.5 million, Cam Heyward took the opportunity to defend his brother and set the record straight one last time.
“I’m very thankful that he gets to be recognized as who he is,” Heyward said of his brother’s new deal with the Raiders on his Not Just Football podcast. “He doesn’t have to walk in my shadow. He doesn’t have to walk in my dad’s shadow. I don’t think fans really appreciate what he did. He was a core special teamer, also made big plays on offense. And that adds a lot of value. And I think a lot of people overlooked that and didn’t understand his role and what he was capable of.”
Special teamers often get overlooked in the NFL, but Heyward did the dirty work over his four seasons with the Steelers. He logged 1,169 special teams snaps across four units and made 22 special teams tackles. His overall role on offense shrunk during that time, but the Steelers still found ways to use him, including the Spartan formation for Pittsburgh’s version of the tush push last season.
He had 11 rushing first downs and a career-high three total TDs in 2025.
Football players don’t often acknowledge online criticism from the faceless masses, but that doesn’t mean they don’t see it. Heyward went to bat for his younger brother.
“For all the people who will not get a chance to keep talking about him and who went out of their way to do some very inappropriate stuff, bring that shit onto me because I’ll handle it, and I’ll expose you if you wanna go down that route,” Heyward said. “Connor is very forgiving, and Connor has always tried to keep it professional to an extent. I’m on my way out of this thing. I’ll handle it the right way. I’ve told people to quit talking about my little brother, but I’ll handle it from here on out.”
The negativity got especially bad when Heyward was in the midst of his contract negotiations and hold-in last offseason. Fans had strong opinions of Heyward wanting more money, and that somehow blew back on his little brother as well.
Playing with his older brother was a blessing, but also a curse in some ways. Cam Heyward casts a large shadow, and online communities love talking about nepotism as if it means anything on a 53-man roster. Is there nepotism on coaching and scouting staffs around the league? Sure, but every 53-man roster spot is earned.
As a sixth-round pick, Connor Heyward made a bigger impact on the team than several players who were drafted higher than him and fizzled out. Now he joins a Raiders team that is committed to using him in a fullback role to revamp their run game.
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