Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers received troubling news before Thursday's practice: Team captain Cameron Heyward has been doing a hold-in all throughout training camp in an attempt to have his contract restructured. The big defensive tackle held-in during summer minicamp in 2024, and he got a two-year extension during camp that year. After bouncing back to old form, he wants more money to match what he did throughout the season. Any time a player does not participate in practice with the team, concerns get raised about his short-term future.
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Cameron Heyward gets ready for a play against the Ravens in Week 16 of the 2024 season.
The concerns over Heyward may be overblown, however. While making an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, former Super Bowl champion and current analyst Chris Hoke assured the fans that there is absolutely nothing to worry about.
"Cam Heyward is a team guy. Come Week 1, Cam Heyward's going to be on that field," Hoke said. "I was out there this week again, and he was out there in full pads. He wasn't going through any kind of individual drills or team drills, and so I'm not overly concerned. The reality is Cam Heyward is out there working. He was going through band work; he was going through still development work. The guy is going to be in shape. This will all get worked out. One thing I do know is that he is a valued captain, he's a valued teammate. This guy brings much more to the game than making plays on Sundays."
Hoke had nothing but praise for Heyward, and he knows that the Steelers feel the same way. It just sounds like General Manager Omar Khan is playing a little hardball to try and not break the bank. At the end of the day, the two sides will likely come to some sort of middle ground and the defensive captain will get back to batting balls down and making life hard for opposing offensive guards.
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Cam Heyward gets ready to make a play during Week 14 against the Cleveland Browns.
Currently, the Steelers have about $19.2 million in cap space for 2025 and $32.6 million for 2026. Heyward's salary is fully guaranteed for the upcoming season, but not for next season. His only guarantee is a roster bonus, meaning that the Steelers could cut him prior to March and only have dead cap from the signing bonus proration. That's likely what Heyward is peeved at currently.
When the Steelers do their restructures, they usually convert some of the future money into a signing bonus. In this case, Heyward's base salary is already very low at $1.3 million, so the money would instead come from the roster bonus in 2026 if Khan chooses to go down this route. That bonus is currently set at $12.95 million for 2026.
Will The Steelers Give Heyward A New Deal?
Because some of that money would be a signing bonus, it would count for more against the cap for 2025 and the dead cap for 2026, while lowering the actual cap value. For example, if the Steelers decide they want to turn $8 million of the roster bonus into a signing one, then it would count for $4 million in both years. Currently, the proration is set at $4.9 million.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers take part in the NFL Draft at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA.
That new signing bonus proration would be $8.9 million for both years, with the roster bonus for 2026 being just $4.95 million. This is a Steelers-like compromise that Heyward would likely be willing to agree to. That $8.9 million proration makes it much less likely that Khan would even consider thinking about releasing him, and that would also be more money in his pocket up front. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh would save a little money in 2026 by moving that $4 million to the current year while also not giving out an outright raise.
What do you think about Hoke not being concerned about Heyward leaving, as well as the way the Steelers do restructures? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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