Nov 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) warms up for a game against the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Cam Heyward Shares Steelers Stubbornness With Contract Incentives

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Sep 6, 2025 9:00 AM ET

PITTSBURGH — The contractual standoff between the Pittsburgh Steelers and defensive lineman Cam Heyward continues as the 2025 regular season kicks off. The 15-year veteran and defensive captain has clamored for more commensurate pay despite signing a new contract before the 2024 season began. While the two sides hammer out a deal, Heyward recently revealed one potential sticking point in these negotiations.

The divide between the Steelers and Heyward as Week 1 approaches remains a cavernous chasm. Heyward's average annual salary comes in tied for the 22nd-highest among interior defensive linemen, according to Over the Cap, and it's something the five-time All Pro is desperate to amend before the 2025 season kicks off. Speaking to media, Heyward seemed anything but confident that a new deal would get done and refused to commit to playing in the sea son opener.

"I wish I had a straight answer for you right now,” he told reporters after practice. “All I can tell you is I've had to have a lot of tough conversations with my family.”

Incentivize This

One possible solution in this negotiation is to work in incentive-laden bonuses for the 35-year-old lineman. There’s recent precedent for this around the NFL, evidenced by the agreement the San Francisco 49ers came to with wide receiver Jauan Jennings. The reworked deal now includes up to $3 million more in potential performance bonuses.

The Steelers haven’t approached that potential option with Heyward, according to the lineman. When asked if that was ever on the table during their talks, he quickly shut down any suggestion that these types of incentives were part of their negotiations.

“No,” he said. “No.”

After that revealing answer, he was asked if that prompted any additional frustration or if he had any insight into why that was the case. His response was telling.

”Not a lot of players have gotten incentives over here,” he said. “A lot of it has stemmed from just quarterbacks. There’s different ways to handle the situation, I’m all for proving it. I’m not running away from it. My career has always been about proving it. If it was that route, I’d go for it. But, we’ve got time and we’ll see what happens.”

Heyward may still be holding out hope, but his frustrations with the organization are clear. The Steelers remain unlikely to rework his contract and that means he won’t be paid any more for this season or address his low salary relative to other top defensive lineman. With performance-based incentives not an option, the remaining solutions or compromises are dwindling away.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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