Revealing Update On Steelers' Cam Heyward Gives More Specific Detail Into Training Camp Hold-In

Things seemed to all be going well for the Pittsburgh Steelers after the blockbuster trade that helped the team acquire both Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith this past offseason. Then, a little more than a month after the deal, it was reported that veteran defensive lineman, Cam Heyward, was unhappy with his contract situation, and was refusing to fully participate in training camp practices. This brought a new form of drama to the organization as the players were trying to get ready for the 2025 regular season. In the end, the All-Pro received a revised contract, but it only added a few million dollars worth of incentives.

Training camp started at the end of July, but it didn't come out that Heyward was unhappy with his deal for roughly two weeks after that. Many speculated on why it took so long for the public to find out, and it even was assumed that the Steelers organization leaked it to some local media members in an attempt to make the veteran look bad, so he would be put in a precarious position.

While that was a theory for a little while, some more detail has come out after the beginning of the season in which the team has started with a record of 1-0. Insider Gerry Dulac has been around the franchise for a long time, and held a fan chat on Wednesday to discuss a lot of different topics. Someone asked about the possibility of Pittsburgh purposely letting the information out. The reporter shut that down immediately.

"It was Heyward's agent, I'm sure with Cam's approval, who leaked it to the national media, not the local media," Dulac wrote. "And the certain people in the Pittsburgh media to whom you refer have no idea what they're talking about. Mainly because they have no idea how it works with agents."

It certainly is interesting to read this from Dulac. It arguably could make fans even more upset with Heyward, because the Steelers were apparently trying to keep everything behind closed doors. If the defensive lineman's camp thought a leak would put pressure on the organization, it did the opposite. His new incentives are tied to team performance and success, so there is no true guarantee that he earns an extra dime in 2025.

All in all, football is a business. Heyward thought he was worth more than his current contract is valued at, so he wanted to have the franchise do right by him. Unfortunately, the Steelers hardly ever negotiate with players who have more than one year left on their current deal. If Dulac's reporting is true, it might have made more sense for Heyward's camp to stay quiet, rather than getting stuff into the hands of national media members.

Heyward didn't have his best game in Week 1, but there's no reason to believe he still can't perform at a high level in 2025. It will be interesting to see how the season progresses for the team captain. Overall, it's good news that the Steelers reportedly had no intentions of making Heyward look bad, but it begs the question of why his agent may have leaked the information two weeks into training camp.

Steelers Will Have A Decision To Make On Heyward In 2026

With only one year remaining on his current contract, the veteran will certainly be looking for some kind of assurances during the 2026 offseason if he has another great year in 2025. It's too early to tell if that will occur, but the team will be faced with making a difficult decision if he has a year campaign that is not up to his standards. For now, the main hope is that he returns to All-Pro form while the contract talks fade away.

Do you think that the Steelers or Heyward leaked the confidential information regarding his training camp hold-in? Let us know in the comments below!

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