Cameron Heyward is once again re-upping with the Steelers. The long-time defensive tackle is inking a new two-year deal with Pittsburgh, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Heyward still had a year remaining on his deal, but this new agreement effectively rips up that previous contract. The new two-year contract is worth $32.25MM, per Dulac. The deal includes $16.25MM in guaranteed money, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Notably, Heyward’s annual earnings now represent the most lucrative deal for an NFL defensive player in NFL history who’s 36 years or older, per Rapoport. The move will also free up about $5.5MM in cap space for the organization.
A 2011 first-round pick, Heyward has spent his entire career in Pittsburgh. The defensive lineman is second in franchise history in games played (behind Ben Roethlisberger), and he paces the franchise leaderboard in tackles for loss (142). He’s earned six All-Pro nods and seven Pro Bowl appearances during his 15-year career. He’s also served as a team captain for 11-straight seasons.
The 2019 campaign was Heyward’s age-30 season, and he’s somehow only missed seven games since then (six of which came during the 2023 campaign). He averaged close to nine sacks per season between 2017 and 2022, and he rebounded from a two-sack campaign in 2023 with eight sacks in 2024. His numbers took a bit of a step back in 2025, as he finished the year with 78 tackles and 3.5 sacks despite getting into all 17 games. Still, Pro Football Focus ranked him first among all interior defenders, the sixth time in the past seven years that he’s ranked inside the top-six.
Heyward was still attached to a three-year, $45MM deal he signed with the franchise in 2024. He played hardball last year as he looked to adjust that pact, as the veteran staged a hold-in in pursuit of a raise. The two sides ultimately agreed to a last-minute resolution, with the Steelers adding more than $3MM in incentives to the player’s deal.
Now, the franchise is once again showing their faith in the defensive lineman, and with Mike Tomlin no longer in Pittsburgh, the Steelers may be even more dependent on Heyward’s leadership. The team did use a 2023 second-round pick on Yahya Black and a 2025 fifth-round pick on Keeanu Benton, but the team doesn’t have a true contingency plan behind their franchise icon. In other words, Heyward will continue to play a big role for the Steelers over the next few years.
Sounds like a pre-emptive pay raise before he threatens to hold out
You know, he carried himself as a real prima donna the past couple of seasons but he played pretty well on a line that really needed some leadership. Between him, Watt and Ramsey though, it’s an aging and expensive defense that as a unit looked slow against the better teams last season
Not everyone is so happy to get a paycheck that they’ll happily make less to work for you.
But we need people like you in the world so we can buy cheap stuff.
I want to thank you for the most ridiculous posting I’ve read today. And that’s really saying something. It’s level of stupidity is other worldly.
Maybe you work in a job that a contract means nothing. You don’t like it, you can just hold out. Or better yet, maybe you live in some world that dictates a $20M contract can’t feed the family. Jeez. My heart bleeds for you
Thanks for the reply. I needed a good laugh
Don’t whine like a Prima Donna if you’re going to insult others for doing the same thing. Be a good boy, do what youre told and take what youre offered.
Crying doesn’t sound like laughing BTW.
I’m gonna bet I likely forgot more about contract law than you’ll ever learn, junior, but why bother?
By the way. Wake me up when you know ANYTHING about contract law.
Simmer down guys. You’re talking tough about contract law on a football website.