Steelers clear cap space by restructuring Heyward's contract

Dec 21, 2020; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward (97) after the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Steelers clear cap space by restructuring Cam Heyward's contract

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 2/22/21

The Pittsburgh Steelers are working on getting under the salary cap this offseason. They decreased their payroll on Monday by restructuring one of their defensive star's contracts.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Steelers have converted a large portion of Cam Heyward's $10.5 million salary and roster bonus into a signing bonus. This year's cap hit will drop by $7 million as a result of the restructuring.

The #Steelers did a basic conversion restructure on DL Cam Heyward’s contract, source said, and he’ll still make $10.5M this season. But roster bonus and base were converted to a signing bonus and created about $7M in cap room.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 22, 2021

Heyward is signed through 2024 and has been with the Steelers since 2011. Last season he had one interception, four sacks, 54 tackles, seven tackles for a loss and 19 quarterback hits.

The 31-year-old had one of the largest cap hits on the team. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is set to count $41.25 million against the cap in 2021, but it remains to be seen what the Steelers will do about that.

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