Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan refused to comment on either defensive tackle Cam Heyward or kicker Chris Boswell’s contract disputes during an interview with WDVE on Tuesday morning.
“We’re not going to talk about contractual issues,” Khan said. “I’ve known those guys for a long time, and I’m confident that those guys want to be world champions. That’s what we’re seeking. That’s what we all want.”
Boswell also refused to comment on Monday when asked about his hold-in, according to Jeff Hathhorn of 93.7 The Fan. Boswell said, “No, because I know what you want to ask me about.”
Boswell is currently the NFL’s eighth-highest paid kicker. He’s signed through 2026 with a $5 million average annual value. Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs is the league’s highest-paid kicker with a contract value of $25.6 million/$6.4 AAV.
“Chris Boswell privately has been seeking a new contract from the Steelers,” Adam Schefter of ESPN wrote on X last week. “Despite being voted first team All-Pro, Boswell was the AFC North’s lowest-paid kicker last season. Three years ago Boswell signed a contract that tied him with Justin Tucker as the NFL’s highest-paid kicker; but that market also has been reset the past two years.”
Boswell and Heyward were both named first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press last year.
Unlike Khan and Boswell, Heyward has been outspoken regarding his contract situation.
Heyward, speaking to the media at St. Vincent College on Monday 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.
Adam Schefter revealed on Tuesday’s ESPN NFL Live that neither the Steelers or Heyward have budged in contract negotiations. The two sides are at a stalemate.
The two sides have not had very many discussions about it, and the Steelers have not had a huge appetite to reward him right now,” Schefter said.
*Alan Saunders and...
