Cameron Heyward Took A Pay Cut Last Year To Stay With The Steelers. Now, He Might Sit Out Into The Season

Cameron Heyward has been with the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2011, when the team selected him with the 31st pick of that year's draft. Since then, he's amassed 718 tackles, 199 quarterback hits 88.5 sacks, 8 forced fumbles, and 7 fumble recoveries in 211 regular season games. The defensive tackle is also a four-time first-team All-Pro and has made it to seven Pro Bowls. He achieved both of those honors last season—and he wants to get paid for it.

The tricky situation is that Heyward just signed a contract extension with the Steelers less than a year ago, in September 2024. That deal was for $29 million over two seasons. When he signed it, Heyward received a $13.45 million roster bonus for 2025, so he'll get at least $14.75 million. Assuming he remains on the roster, he'll receive another $12.95 million as a roster bonus on March 15, the fifth day of the league year in 2026.

Heyward missed six games during the 2023 season, so the team asked him to take a pay cut. Under his old deal, he would have made $16 million in base salary last season. Instead, he made $12.6 million ($1.3 million in base salary and a signing bonus of $11.3 million). No matter what industry you're in, a reduction of over 21% in your wages is hard to handle.

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The $14.5 million average annual value for Heyward's deal places him 23rd among interior defensive linemen. Compared to other key players even within the AFC, Heyward feels he's getting paid less than he's worth. Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs gets $95 million guaranteed and averages $31.75 million per year. Zach Allen of the Denver Broncos just signed a four-year extension worth $102 million and $69.5 million guaranteed.

Heyward said one of the reasons he renegotiated the deal in 2024 was because he believed he'd have an All-Pro season, and the contract would be worthy of a second look (and ideally a pay raise). But so far, the Steelers haven't budged on their number. And Heyward, who's participating in a hold-in by attending training camp but not practicing, is potentially willing to sit out the start of the season until a deal is done.

At training camp, Heyward said "there are definitely options out there" about missing games. However, he added, "My goal is to be out here, and I don't know what's going to happen."

In a perfect situation, Heyward and the Steelers can agree to a deal and focus on what's happening on the field. But Heyward might want to grab some comfy sweats for the sideline, just in case.