Steelers Likely Kicked Cam Heyward's Contract Dilemma Down The Road With Unsatisfactory Solution

The Pittsburgh Steelers had an eventful offseason in 2025 that saw the organization be fairly aggressive in acquiring external talent. Those acquisitions were on full display Sunday as Pittsburgh was able to beat the New York Jets to open up the 2025 NFL season. While acquiring new talent, General Manager Omar Khan also had to worry about some contract disputes that needed to be settled already on the team. One of those was with star outside linebacker TJ Watt, who eventually signed a lucrative extension with Pittsburgh just before training camp. The other was with Cam Heyward, who wanted a sweetener added to his deal.

Heyward signed a two-year contract extension prior to the 2024 season. He then was able to play in all 17 games of the season and was named an All-Pro for his performance; he certainly outplayed his contract. This led to him asking for more money during the 2025 offseason, and even holding-in throughout parts of training camp. It was a frustrating ordeal for all parties involved, as there were questions about whether or not he would play in the season opener against the Jets. 

A revised deal was agreed to on Saturday, but it just added some additional incentives to the existing contract for Heyward. Team insider Gerry Dulac doesn't believe it changes much, which he made clear during an appearance on 102.5 WDVE.

"I would be willing to bet that Cam Heyward won't agree that his contract was settled with any form of satisfaction there," Dulac said. "It's obviously better than nothing, but basically it's not a whole lot more than nothing unless they get a playoff run and he's very productive. It's not what he was seeking. Can't imagine that he's happy or even satisfied with that deal."

Going into the 2025 season, Heyward was set to make roughly $15 million. He is still set to make that number, except now there are additional incentives added to his contract that can allow Heyward to earn up to $18 million during the 2025 season. The incentives are tied to Pittsburgh making the postseason and winning in the postseason, so there is a chance he walks away from this season making the same amount he was always going to.

All the incentives that were added to Heyward's revised contract involve team success, which might not be a good thing for Heyward. He was an All-Pro in 2024, so it is a bit shocking his team did not fight harder to have some individual incentives thrown into the deal. This is why Dulac assumes Heyward is not satisfied with the entire situation, and the additional incentives were essentially just to kill the notion that the contract dilemma was a distraction and eliminate any question about whether or not the veteran was going to play in the season opener.

If the Steelers go on a deep playoff run, maybe the new deal will be worth it for Heyward. However, that is hard to imagine happening as Pittsburgh has not won a playoff game in nearly a decade. Hopefully this gives Heyward and the defense some added motivation at the end of the 2025 season to avoid a collapse like fans saw in 2024.

Steelers And Cam Heyward May Be In The Same Position In 2026

Heyward is under contract with the Steelers through the 2026 season, although there is a possibility he could retire after the 2025 campaign. If he decides he wants to continue playing in 2026, the two sides might be in a similar spot. Heyward could ask for more money again during the 2026 offseason, which would mark the third offseason in a row he has done that. Much of the fan base was infuriated with the entire situation in 2025, and it could get worse moving forward due to the way things were handled ahead of the 2025 season.

What do you think about Dulac's thoughts on the revised deal? Let us know in the comments below!

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