Steelers Now
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported last week that Pittsburgh Steelers mainstay Cam Heyward has been awaiting a pay raise while not participating fully at training camp at St. Vincent College.
Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin doesn’t seem all that concerned about the veteran defensive lineman’s lightened workload.
“I think he’s had like 63,000 (reps) in his career, so he’s probably good,” Austin said Monday afternoon.
Heyward didn’t practice last Thursday, and he declined media requests afterward. He also uploaded a cryptic post on Instagram shortly after. The post read, “When you take things for granted, the things you are granted get taken.”
Heyward is set to make $14.75 million this season, with $13.45 million of that already having been shelled out as a roster bonus in March. Heyward saw the defensive market undergo a reset this offseason and wants to be paid accordingly. Heyward and the Steelers have privately discussed it, but hadn’t made any progress on any reworked deal, Schefter added.
Heyward enjoyed a career resurgence a season ago after an injury-riddled 2023 campaign. Pro Football Focus recently tabbed him as the NFL’s third-best interior defensive lineman.
He sat behind only Kansas City’s Chris Jones and New York’s Dexter Lawrence. The 15-year veteran is coming off of an impressive turnaround.
Heyward, who turned 36 this past month, closed out 2024 with eight sacks, 20 quarterback hits, and a career-high 11 pass deflections. The effort earned him a seventh career Pro Bowl and fourth first-team Associated Press All-Pro honors.
The Steelers drafted interior defensive linemen Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black this offseason.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers’ Teryl Austin Unbothered by Cam Heyward’s Contract Wait
