Pittsburgh Steelers star defensive lineman Cam Heyward is not ruling out drastic action to get a new contract from the team. Heyward sat out of practice for a week and a half before returning to the field on August 19.
Ever since that moment, Heyward has continued practicing with the Steelers, and head coach Mike Tomlin has noted that is in team and individual drills.
However, with no new contract, Heyward has a decision to make on Wednesday. Speaking on his latest podcast episode of Not Just Football, Heyward will not rule out missing the team’s Week 1 game against the Jets.
“We’ll see,” Heyward said when asked if he would play.
In addition, when asked if there was any movement or update on his contract situation, Heyward said that nothing has happened since his initial request.
“Nope, Nothing to talk about,” Heyward said.
Heyward, who is the 22nd highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL, says he talked to the team in late February that he would like a new deal. In Heyward’s own words, he just wants to be valued relative to the market that has continued to soar.
“I’m honestly looking to be valued. When I look around at my position, as a defensive tackle, I’m 36 as a D-Lineman. I know what I bring to this team and what I’m capable of on and off the field. It’s hard for me to have it after the year I’m done to really justify playing at the number I’m playing at,” Heyward said.
The biggest rebuttal to Heyward getting a new deal is that he signed a deal and should honor it. For the Steelers, there was no guaranteed money past the 2024 season, though Heyward received a roster bonus in March once he was not released.
A first-team All-Pro in 2024, Heyward wants his pay to reflect how he played on the field. Getting a one-year pay raise would seem to satisfy what he is asking.
“I understand I signed a contract last year. To be completely honest with you, when I signed that, I told them when I have an All-Pro year, they’re correcting me for that. Even after the contract, I didn’t see what it was. I think everybody kind of giggled a little bit, but in my head, I used it as motivation,” Heyward said.
The superstar pass rusher acknowledged that while talks have been ongoing with general manager Omar Khan, team president Art Rooney, and head coach Mike Tomlin, those talks have not gone as he would have liked.
Heyward has a roster bonus of $12.95 million next year, and the Steelers could push some of that money forward to allow Heyward to land that money early, thus increasing his pay for the season.
He acknowledged that it is something the Steelers and he have talked about, and would be something he is open to doing.
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