Steelers Fans Owe Cam Heyward A Big Apology

The Pittsburgh Steelers' longtime defensive captain Cam Heyward is now 36 years old. Just ahead of the 2024 season, Heyward was openly doubted by fans who believed age had finally caught up to him. Instead, he delivered one of the best seasons of his career, earning All Pro honors and once again anchoring the heart of Pittsburgh’s defense. At a time when many expected decline, Heyward responded with dominance, leadership, and durability, reminding everyone why he has been the standard on the defensive line for more than a decade.

Well ahead of the 2025 season, it leaked that Heyward was hopeful for a contract restructure that included a significant raise. He reportedly felt his previous deal no longer reflected his elite level of play, especially as top defensive tackles around the league were earning substantially more. Seeking additional guaranteed money, Heyward even held out of practice and threatened to sit out games before eventually agreeing to a revised deal that included added incentives tied to playoff success. While the exact level of his satisfaction remains unclear, the standoff sparked loud backlash from portions of the fanbase.

Many Steelers fans took to social media insisting Heyward was simply too old to be demanding new money. Now, with Pittsburgh sitting at 9-6 and the defense finally starting to look like itself again, that narrative is shifting. Former Steelers offensive lineman Trai Essex believes it is time for fans to apologize to Heyward once again. As the team pushes toward the postseason, Heyward’s impact, leadership, and resilience continue to prove that age has not diminished his value to the Steelers, if anything it has only reinforced it.

"Cam haters, apologize," Essex said. "He is playing the best out of any interior DL in the entire NFL, at 36 years old. What he is doing is unprecedented."

It is unprecedented to see a 36 year old excelling at this stage of his career. Typically, there is a fall off, but in the case of Heyward, he has been just as good, if not arguably playing some of the best football of his career. 

Once again, Steelers fans were dead wrong on Heyward. Not all fans, of course, but a good chunk of the fan base felt his best days were behind him.

"I don't even think it's an exaggeration, Cam Hayward at 36 years old is doing something that's never been done before," Essex said Tuesday while talking on 93.7's The Fan Morning Show. "In my opinion, he's the best interior D-lineman in the league, and I don't even think it's that close."

Heyward’s 2023 season showed some noticeable decline, which sparked debate throughout Steeler Nation about whether Father Time had finally caught up to him. It quickly became clear, however, that Heyward was essentially playing on one leg after suffering a groin injury in Week 1 of the 2023 season. 

He battled through that injury all year, then fully addressed it during the offseason with surgery. Since then, he has returned and delivered back-to-back incredible seasons at ages 35 and 36.

Steelers' Cam Heyward Still A Superstar In The NFL At The Age Of 36

This season, Heyward has accumulated 66 tackles, with still two games left in the 2025 season. He has also recorded 3.5 sacks, defended six passes, forced a fumble, and added eight tackles for loss. 

That level of production strongly backs Essex’s sentiment that Heyward belongs in the conversation as the best defensive lineman in the league, or at the very least among the elite. Doing it at this stage of his career only makes the achievement that much more remarkable.

Do you agree with Essex? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments below! Please feel free to share your Steelers takes with me on X @anthonyghalkias and follow me. I will respond!

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