Field Level Media
12 Aug 2025, 06:49 GMT+10
(Photo credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images)
Pittsburgh Steelers star defensive tackle Cameron Heyward insinuated Monday that he is willing to sit out some regular-season games to get a better contract.
The disgruntled Heyward has been with the team in training camp but recently began sitting out practice sessions amid a hold-in.
'My goal is to be out here, and I don't know what's going to happen,' Heyward told reporters on Monday. 'I've had to be honest with myself to be ready for every option. And has it gone the way I wanted to go? No.
'If it did, I would be out there playing and practicing, but I'd like to put this in the rearview mirror and worry about ball and worry about the New York Jets (in) Week 1.'
Heyward, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection, signed a two-year, $29 million extension with the Steelers last September. It keeps him with the team through the 2026 season.
Defensive player salaries have spiked upwards and Pittsburgh linebacker T.J. Watt received a three-year, $123 million deal in the offseason with $108 million guaranteed. The $41 million annual average set a record for defensive players.
The 36-year-old Heyward wants his piece of the financial pie.
'I'm looking to be valued,' Heyward said. '... I know what I bring to this team and what I'm capable of on and off the field, so it's hard for me, after the year I've had (in 2024), to really justify playing at the number I'm playing at.
'I understand. I signed a contract last year, but to be completely honest with you, when I signed that, I told him when I have an All-Pro year expecting me to come back and you can look at the contract and see what it was. But I think everybody kind of giggled a little bit, but in my head, I used it as motivation to go out there and prove it.'
Heyward earned first-team All-Pro honors last season for the fourth time in a career that began with the Steelers in 2011. He had 71 tackles, eight sacks and a career-high 11 pass breakups last season.
Heyward has 88.5 career sacks in 211 games (176 starts). He will likely warrant heavy Pro Football Hall of Fame consideration after his career ends.
Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin isn't overly concerned with the stalemate between Heyward and club management.
'It's just a component of big business,' Tomlin told reporters. 'It's not exclusive to us or to Cam. It's going on in a lot of locations.
'The great thing about it is we've had good relations with Cam since he's been here. He's been a heck of a Steeler. We communicate formally and informally. I imagine it'll remain the same, and we'll find a way to see our way through these things.'
--Field Level Media
Get a daily dose of Pittsburgh Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Pittsburgh Star.
More InformationLONDON, U.K.: As the Trump administration ramped up pressure on U.S. colleges to reduce their reliance on international students, while...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: U.S. companies are now spending more money than ever to protect their top bosses. This comes after rising...
(Photo credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images) Pittsburgh Steelers star defensive tackle Cameron Heyward insinuated Monday that he is...
(Photo credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images) Kyle Schwarber belted his 42nd home run of the season to highlight a four-run, two-out...
(Photo credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images) Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett was cited for travelling 100 mph in a 60 mph...
(Photo credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images) Kyle Schwarber belted his 42nd home run of the season to highlight a four-run, two-out...
Israel has admitted bombing a tent housing journalists outside the entrance to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, an attack that killed...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. Air Force will no longer allow transgender service members with 15 to 18 years of service to retire early,...
TOKYO, Japan: On August 8, relentless downpours lashed Japan's southern island of Kyushu, triggering floods and landslides that drove...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump announced on August 8 that he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska next week...
SRINAGAR, India: Indian authorities have prohibited 25 books in Kashmir, alleging that they promote false narratives and secessionism...
As scientists and members of the Standing Together for Nutrition Consortium (ST4N) who have been Standing Together For Nutritionduring...
