Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro defensive tackle Cam Heyward returned to practice on Tuesday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Heyward hasn’t participated in a practice in over a week since word of his desire for a new contract surfaced.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Heyward participated in team and individual periods on Tuesday.
“You have to ask him,” Tomlin said when asked if Heyward participating in practice has changed anything in regard to his contract situation.
Heyward said he’s willing to miss games in the 2025 season, if that’s what it takes to get the contract modification he’s seeking from the team.
Heyward, speaking to the media at St. Vincent College on Aug. 11 for the first time since his hold-in was reported, said that he told the team last year when he took a team-friendly offer that he would be back asking for more money if he had another All-Pro season.
Heyward did just that, earning his fourth All-Pro nod at the age of 35 last year, and said that he first approached the Steelers back in February about adjusting his contract.
“I’m looking for my contract to be addressed,” he said. “Honestly, I’m looking to be valued. … I know what I bring to this team, what I’m capable of on and off the field. It’s hard for me, after the year I had, to really justify playing at the number I’m playing at.”
Heyward signed a two-year, $29 million contract extension with the team last year that paid him a $14.7 million signing bonus, but guaranteed only that and his 2024 salary, which was $1.3 million.
He was paid a $13.45 million roster bonus this March, but is owed only another $1.3 million this season for a total of $14.75 million in cash over 2025. He is also scheduled to earn a $12.95 million roster bonus in 2026, with a $1.3 million base salary.
Alan Saunders and Brenden Howe contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Cam Heyward Returns to Practice Amid Contract Dispute
