A turbulent offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers seemed to reach its conclusion once T.J. Watt signed his record-breaking extension. However, the Steelers find themselves yet to break free from the shackles of contract drama, with Cam Heyward and Chris Boswell each desiring their own pay raises.
Speaking to the media Monday, Heyward didn’t rule out the idea of missing games as he continues to hold in. Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo thinks that could be a realistic scenario.
“I think his threat is realistic,” Fittipaldo said on the North Shore Drive podcast on Tuesday. “I don’t know deep down what he and his agents have calculated… Cam’s already been paid 90-percent of his salary this year in the form of that roster bonus. He’s making $1.3 million in salary this year. Have he and his agents calculated that, yeah, he’d be willing to miss the Jets’ game? Who cares, it’s $85,000, or whatever that is pro-rated. They could have calculated that in their mind and said, okay, we are willing to do that.”
Fittipaldo references his contract, which our Dave Bryan broke down earlier this week. Heyward already made $13.45 million in March for being on the roster, and makes $1.3 million as his base salary, which Fittipaldo also references, and uses the argument that the pro-rated fines for missing games would be smaller due to the smaller base salary.
From Heyward’s point of view, he’s criminally underpaid, and he’s got an argument there. Heyward says he told the Steelers last summer that he would return to the table if he had an All-Pro season. He did just that, and now the negotiations are where they are. Heyward signed his contract last summer for security, and now he wants a raise, which he’s not wrong to ask for.
That has not landed him in good graces with Steelers fans, to say the least. They side with the organization, which has yet to budge to Heyward’s desires.
The Steelers would surely miss Heyward if he were to sit out any regular-season games. They drafted plenty of youngsters across the defensive line and hope to have Heyward’s eventual replacement in Derrick Harmon. However, it’s extremely tough to replace an All-Pro, especially one who helps create opportunities for T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith on the edge. His run defense is also key, an area the Steelers struggled with last season.
The Steelers have taken care of their own in Watt and DeShon Elliott this offseason. Now, they’ve got to do the same with Heyward and Boswell. It would seem relatively easy to figure out those deals, but clearly, that’s easier said than done, with no progress being made so far.
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