Cameron Heyward Connor Heyward
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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward put Steelers fans on notice over criticism his brother has received.
After his brother signed a free agent deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, Cameron Heyward shared on social media he didn’t think Connor was fully appreciated while playing with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Revisiting the topic on the latest episode of his podcast, “Not Just Football” this week, Heyward was more harsh and blunt.
Simply put, Cameron has no more patience for anyone who is going to be critical of his brother.
“For all the people who will not get a chance to keep talking about him, and who have went out of their way to do some very inappropriate stuff, bring that s*** onto me, because I’ll handle it,” Heyward said on March 18, via Steelers Now’s Chris Ward. “I’ll expose you if you want to go down that route.
“Connor is very forgiving and like 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. I’ll leave it at that.”
Heyward then emphasized again how much Connor was appreciated in Pittsburgh.
“I take wearing the Black and Gold very seriously,” the defensive lineman added. “When you disrespect not only my little brother, and you start to disrespect what we do on the field and what we do for the community, I got a lot to say with that.”
Connor Heyward will play his first season on a team without his brother next season. On March 12, Connor signed a 2-year, $5.5 million deal to join the Raiders.
Cameron Heyward Defends Brother as Connor Leaves for Las Vegas
It’s not exactly clear what criticism Connor Heyward faced while he was with the Steelers.
In recent years, Steelers Nation has been very displeased with the team being good enough to be relevant but not nearly good enough to advance in the playoffs. But Connor had nothing to do with that.
Even at tight end, he wasn’t the biggest source of anger for Steelers fans during 2025. That was Jonnu Smith, who continuously received playing time over Pat Freiermuth and Connor Heyward and yet recorded one of the worst statistical seasons of recent memory for a tight end.
But if Cameron saw fans or social media users criticizing his brother in a disrespectful manner, it’s understandable that he would come to his defense.
The Steelers drafted Connor in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The Heyward brothers played together for four years.
Connor’s best statistical season was 2023 when he had 23 receptions for 167 yards. But Connor mostly contributed outside the stat sheet, playing full back, tight end and special teams.
In 2025, Connor began lining up behind center in Pittsburgh’s version of the “tush push.”
Connor Heyward Faced Difficult Decision to Leave Steelers
Cameron has mostly been negative about his brother’s exit from Pittsburgh, taking the opportunity to “get back” at critics. As the defensive lineman suggested his brother would do, Connor stressed the positive memories he has from his Pittsburgh tenure.
Connor told Raiders.com’s Paul Gutierrez that electing to leave the Steelers was not easy.
“Honestly, it was so hard. Talking to everybody, I’m still getting messages just saying thank you for the person you were,” Connor told Gutierrez. “I’m super grateful for my time in Pittsburgh and obviously playing with Cam.
“You don’t usually get to play with your siblings, let alone at a professional level. So I didn’t take it for granted. I loved going in everyday to work with Cam’s locker being right next to mine. That was amazing.”
Connor left Pittsburgh having posted 44 receptions for 379 yards and three touchdowns in 68 games.