Two days earlier than the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first preseason sport of the 2025 NFL season, insider Adam Schefter dropped the information that Steelers DT Cam Heyward desires to work on his contract. That, in of itself, shouldn’t be an enormous drawback. Gamers wish to redo their contracts on a regular basis within the NFL. The issue for the Steelers is that they signed Heyward to a three-year contract extension final 12 months. And the Steelers don’t negotiate new offers with gamers who’ve multiple 12 months remaining on their deal, aside from quarterbacks.
So what does that imply for Cam Heyward? Will the Steelers bend their very own guidelines for a participant like him?
“Are you ripping it up, saying, okay, the one individuals we do with greater than two years out are quarterback and Cam Heyward?” Insider Mark Kaboly stated Saturday on the Kaboly + Mack present. “I simply assume that’s a path they don’t wish to go down… They’ll discover a strategy to pay him with out shedding their credibility.”
The Steelers discover themselves in a troublesome spot. Brokers and gamers know that the Steelers have a tough and quick rule about negotiating contracts with gamers aside from quarterbacks. We’ll discuss contract extensions if you happen to’re coming into the ultimate 12 months of your present contract. Should you aren’t, we’ll file it away till it’s time.
And, if you happen to’re specializing in particular facets of the Cam Heyward scenario, that’s precisely what this appears like. In spite of everything, doesn’t Heyward have two years remaining on his contract? Technically, sure. But additionally, the one actual assured distinction in Heyward’s new deal was that the Steelers took most of his 2024 wage and turned it right into a signing bonus, successfully guaranteeing his complete wage for the 12 months.
Every part else within the contract, the brand new years added to the deal, was basically window dressing. Heyward didn’t make any extra money in 2024 than his authentic wage. It was merely assured. Steelers Depot’s Dave Bryan did a wonderful breakdown of this in his piece on methods to make a deal work for Heyward (and Ok Chris Boswell).
And it’s in that bit of data that provides common supervisor Omar Khan and the Steelers the wanted wiggle room. Whereas Heyward technically has two years remaining on his contract underneath the brand new deal, there’s nothing assured. And he hasn’t made any extra cash on the brand new contract but.
There may be additionally historic precedent for the Steelers doing this. You’ve bought to return into the archives a bit to seek out it, although. 9 years in the past, the Steelers re-did WR Antonio Brown’s contract two years in a row. The scenario was barely completely different as a result of the Steelers had beforehand moved base wage ahead. But it surely illustrates that the Steelers have labored round their very own inside guidelines to make issues occur for a star participant.
How will the Steelers make this work in Cam Heyward’s scenario? Dave Bryan thinks the Steelers might take half of Heyward’s 2026 roster bonus ($12.95 million due subsequent March) and convey it ahead as a signing bonus this 12 months. Or they may merely assure that now, making certain he’ll earn that cash subsequent 12 months.
The purpose is that this: The Steelers don’t wish to break their long-standing contract negotiation guidelines. In addition they wish to maintain Cam Heyward. And there are methods for them to do that whereas nonetheless abiding by the letter of the principles. In spite of everything, Heyward is a franchise icon.
