Cam Heyward just completed what quite possibly could be an All Pro season. He continues to defy Father Time, and dominate the league at 36 years of age. What this means in terms of Cam Heyward’s contract situation with the Pittsburgh Steelers is anyone’s guess. One thing is for sure however. Cam Heyward is not going to play for the Steelers on his current deal. This promises to be a long, and complicated negotiation that could end in any number of ways. Even the possibility of Cam Heyward playing elsewhere in 2026 is not off the table.
The 2025 offseason saw Cam Heyward stage a “hold in” for parts of training camp despite being just one year removed from signing a new contract. Heyward said he “couldn’t justify being the NFL’s 22nd highest paid interior defensive lineman”. There in lies the dilemma. Heyward is right in thinking he is far better than his contract shows, but the question then arises why did he agree to that contract in the first place?
We have to go back to the 2023 season for the answer to that. Heyward was coming off an injured season, and was looking for some security. No one, including Cam Heyward, thought he was about to have two of his best seasons as a pro in his 14th and 15th years in the league. Heyward could have easily played out the 2024 season, and become a free agent off a Pro Bowl year. Instead, he took the sure thing before the season started. A perfectly reasonable decision, accept for the fact that he ended up far outplaying that contract.
The Steelers did not cave to Heyward’s demands for a new deal last offseason. They instead moved money up from 2026, but only in the form of some very unattainable incentives. Cam Heyward had limited options at that point, and saved face by accepting the Steelers offer. Fast forward to this upcoming offseason, and Heyward is not going to accept anything short of a complete rework of his deal.
The Cam Heyward contract situation is a nightmare for the Pittsburgh Steelers. On one hand, they have one of the best defensive tackles in the league who is a team captain and leader. He is everything the Steelers could want in a player and more. On the other hand, Omar Khan and company are fully aware the bottom could fall out on Cam Heyward’s career at any moment. How long can the Steelers legitimately expect Cam Heyward to play at this level as he will turn 37 years old by the start of the 2026 season.
There is no question a hold out is coming, possibly a trade demand as well. The best possible option for the Steelers would be to bump up Heyward’s salary for 2026 to around 20-24 million dollars. That would put Heyward in, or close to the top ten in salary for his position. The team could stretch to two years, keeping the cap hit lower for 2026. Anything longer than that would represent far too much risk for the Steelers. If Cam Heyward holds his ground for more years, we very well could be seeing the last of him in a Steelers uniform in these upcoming playoffs. What’s about to unfold in these contract negotiations will be the story of the offseason. Omar Khan will earn his money trying to get a deal done that satisfies both sides.
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