LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin Re-Elected As NFLPA President
While he’s yet to find a home in free agency, veteran linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin received some good news tonight as the NFL Players Association announced his re-election as NFLPA president. 
This will be Reeves-Maybin’s second term in the role after taking over in 2024. NFLPA presidents serve two-year terms and are elected by the board of player representatives from around the league. A nine-year veteran, Reeves-Maybin has spent the majority of his career as a depth linebacker and special teamer, though he did start 11 games for the Lions in 2021. He earned Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors in 2023 for his play on special teams.
Reeves-Maybin’s election two years ago made him the first black NFLPA president since Dominique Foxworth served from 2012-14. His re-election makes him the first black NFLPA president to serve multiple terms since Troy Vincent did so from 2004-08. Foxworth was succeeded in 2014 by Eric Winston, who filled the role for six years before turning it over to J.C. Tretter.
Retiring from play after four years as NFLPA president, Tretter continued to work with the union as chief strategy officer and was considered a leading candidate to step in as interim executive director amid the recent controversy with former executive director Lloyd Howell, but he instead chose to resign from his position. Reeves-Maybin has also been praised for his leadership during a rocky period in the union’s history as the NFLPA has dealt with financial impropriety and a collusion coverup.
Joining Reeves-Maybin in re-election were NFLPA executive committee members Oren Burks, Cameron Heyward, Ted Karras, Case Keenum, Brandon McManus, and Thomas Morstead. The group also saw four new members elected to serve on the executive committee. Tanoh Kpassagnon, Jonathan Greenard, Harrison Phillips, and Zaire Franklin will be filling the seats left vacant by outgoing executive committee members Calais Campbell, Austin Ekeler, Ryan Kelly, and Thomas Hennessy. Kpassagnon was named treasurer.
Steelers Extend DT Cameron Heyward
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.
Steelers Add Incentives To Cameron Heyward’s Deal
SEPTEMBER 10: Heyward’s incentive package is split evenly into two parts, as detailed by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. $1.6MM will be earned if Heyward records eight or more sacks and the Steelers reach the playoffs. The remainder will be earned if he posts at least 11.5 sacks and Pittsburgh wins one or more playoff game.
Heyward has hit the eight-sack mark six times in his career, the most recent coming in 2024. He has reached 12 sacks only once in a season (2017), so maximizing these incentives would come as a surprise. Per Florio, Heyward’s scheduled 2026 roster bonus of $12.95MM will drop by $875K in the event he plays less than 30% of the Steelers’ defensive snaps this season; he has surpassed that workload every year since his rookie campaign.
SEPTEMBER 6: A last-minute resolution has emerged in the case of Cameron Heyward and the Steelers. The All-Pro defensive lineman has agreed to a restructure. 
Specifically, the Steelers and Heyward worked out a compromise through incentives covering the 2025 season. Additional potential earnings have been added for the coming campaign, as first reported by Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Incentives worth $3.2MM tied to playoff games and wins are now in place.
Heyward was originally owed $14.25MM in total for the 2025 campaign. As a result of today’s agreement, he can top out at $18MM this year. The 15th-year veteran made it known this summer he was seeking a raise in the wake of a strong showing last season, and he suggested a regular season holdout could take place in the absence of a deal. Yesterday’s comments on the matter implied Heyward would face the choice of missing Sunday’s contest or playing on his existing pact, but that will no longer be the case.
The Steelers have a policy against negotiating extensions during the season and have historically avoided redoing deals with more than one year remaining. Heyward is on the books through 2026 as a result of last year’s extension, something which led to the expectation no agreement would be reached. The team has nevertheless managed to work out a short-term compromise which could see his compensation move closer to the top of the defensive tackle market.
Negotiations on a new contract last offseason proved to be a lengthy process, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler confirms Heyward was giving serious thought to sitting out tomorrow’s game without a restructure of some kind being worked out. The seven-time Pro Bowler is now assured to be in place against the Jets in Week 1. Another highly productive season would help a Steelers defense which faces increased expectations based on the team’s busy offseason.
Heyward was limited to 11 games and just two sacks in 2023. He rebounded last year, though, playing every game and notching eight sacks. Those figures helped lead to the fourth first-team All-Pro nod of his career and increased his leverage in seeking a short-term bump in compensation. Even if Heyward reaches his $18MM ceiling in earnings for 2025, that will fall short of what 16 other defensive tackles average per year based on their current contracts.
Of course, at the age of 36, Heyward was not in a position to approach the top of the position’s market on a restructure or an agreement adding new years to his pact. The path to a marginal raise is now in place, however, and attention for team and player will turn to the regular season.
Steelers’ Cameron Heyward Unsure If New Contract Agreement Will Be Reached
Cameron Heyward continues to seek out an adjusted contract before the start of the regular season. With time running out for an agreement to be reached, it does not appear as though a deal will be struck.
Heyward made it known this summer he was aiming for a raise after signing an extension last summer. The 36-year-old left the door open to missing regular season games in the even no restructure was worked out, but it remains to be seen if that will take place. Heyward is still attached to his existing pact as things stand, and on Friday he said (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor) he is “preparing” to play this week even if no financial changes take place.
“I wish I could be more optimistic,” added Heyward, per Pryor. “Just trying to stay in the moment. I don’t have all the answers. It’s more of me just waiting and see what could happen.”
Though Heyward signed a two-year extension last September with the intention of outplaying the deal and negotiating a raise this year, the Steelers never seemed likely to oblige. They typically avoid engaging in contract talks during the season and rarely extend players with multiple years left on their deal. Though Heyward is still playing at a high level, he is under contract through 2026, per OverTheCap, his age-37 season. Another contract would cost the Steelers more money, both upfront and in guarantees, for years that Heyward may not even play. From a business perspective, it’s difficult to argue with their decision to hold him to his last deal.
Heyward was a full participant in the Steelers’ practice on Friday with no injury designation, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, meaning an absence on Sunday would clearly be a personal, contract-related decision. Would the longtime Steeler take that drastic step? He’s started every game when healthy since Week 6 of 2013 and has a reputation as the hard-nosed leader of Pittsburgh’s defense. Furthermore, holding out during the regular season has rarely led to the desired results for other players. Overall, it seems unlikely that he would take the drastic step of sitting out a regular season game with seemingly little to gain.
Nikhil Mehta contributed to this article.
Steelers’ Derrick Harmon Out For Week 1; Cameron Heyward Expected To Play
As expected, the Steelers’ defensive line will be without first-round pick Derrick Harmon for their Week 1 matchup with the Jets, but head coach Mike Tomlin is hopeful that veteran Cameron Heyward will take the field.
“I’m certainly expecting Cam to play,” said Tomlin on Tuesday (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor). “There are no reservations about his participation or his readiness. I’m sure he’s champing at the bit.”
Heyward, however, would only offer a “we’ll see” when asked about his Week 1 availability on his Not Just Football podcast, per Pryor. The 36-year-old has been dissatisfied with his contract and briefly engaged in a hold-in during training camp as he sought a pay raise.
Heyward returned to practice on August 19 without a deal, but that may not guarantee that he takes the field on Sunday. He previously hinted that he would consider sitting out regular season games as long as his contract remained unaddressed. On his podcast, Heyward said that there were no updates on that front.
The Steelers seem prepared to call his bluff. Though Heyward is still pushing for more 2025 compensation, according to Pryor, Tomlin expressed confidence that his All-Pro defensive tackle would play in Week 1.
An absence from Heyward would leave the Steelers scrambling to field a starting defensive line with Harmon also sidelined. Nose tackle Keeanu Benton would likely be joined by Isaiah Loudermilk and Yahya Black, according to the Steelers’ depth chart.
Cameron Heyward Willing To Miss Games Over Contract Dispute?
Cameron Heyward‘s sudden hold-in could lead to regular-season absences. While speaking with reporters today, the Steelers defensive lineman hinted that he’d be willing to sit out regular season games as he pursues a revised deal.
[RELATED: Steelers DT Seeking Steelers Contract Adjustment]
“I think there are definitely options out there that could reflect that,” Heyward said (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor).
“I’m looking to be valued,” Heyward added (via Pryor). “I know what I bring to this team and what I’m capable of on and off the field. It’s hard for me, after the year I’ve had, to justify playing at the number I’m playing at.”
It was only a year ago that the Steelers tacked on a two-year, $29MM extension to the veteran’s expiring contract. Coming off one of the least productive seasons of his career in 2023, Heyward reverted back to his All-Pro play in 2024. The likely future Hall of Famer finished last season with 71 tackles, eight sacks, and 20 QB hits, leading to an All-Pro nod.
Considering his resurgent campaign, Heyward is now dissatisfied with his current pact. While the player’s hold-in seemed to come out of nowhere, Heyward claims he warned the organization that he’d want to return to the negotiating table if he quickly outperformed his extension (via Mark Kaboly). Heyward said the front office “giggled” at this notion, providing motivation for his comeback performance in 2024.
Heyward’s hold-in kicked off last week, although he had primarily done work off to the side during the early phases of training camp. We heard at the time that the two sides had indeed discussed the 36-year-old’s issues with his contract, although it sounds like there hasn’t been any progress. The Steelers are coming off an offseason where they had to navigate T.J. Watt‘s extension, perhaps explaining why the Heyward showdown has only recently become public.
With a $14.5MM average annual value, Heyward’s contract only ranks 22nd among interior defensive linemen. Even bumping those annual earnings to $20MM wouldn’t place Heyward in the top-10 of his position. The Steelers could perhaps explore increasing the player’s 2025 earnings, or the two sides could even pursue a divorce. Heyward was once open to exploring a post-Pittsburgh path last year, but it’s uncertain if his current problems with the organization would lead to this path.
The Steelers already put in some work finding a potential Heyward successor, as the team used a first-round pick on Oregon’s Derrick Harmon. The rookie could easily slide into the starting lineup if the veteran decides to sit out games.
Cameron Heyward, Chris Boswell Seeking Steelers Contract Adjustments
Questions about Cameron Heyward‘s 2025 status loomed last year, when the standout defensive lineman had come off a season in which an injury provided significant limitations. The Steelers, however, extended their top piece up front to seemingly put an end to contract speculation.
A year later, however, Heyward is not happy with his deal. The Steelers tacked on a two-year, $29MM extension to the likely Hall of Famer’s through-2024 contract; as a result, he is signed through the 2026 season. Heyward bounced back in 2024, earning his fourth first-team All-Pro honor. The resurgent interior pass rusher is now seeking a contract update, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter and Brooke Pryor report.
This situation has morphed into a hold-in, as Pryor indicated Heyward did not suit up for practice Thursday. The 15th-year Steelers defender has mostly done work off to the side during camp, per ESPN. First-round pick Derrick Harmon has benefited in terms of team reps. Harmon is in place as a presumptive Heyward successor up front, but for the time being, the two will be expected to work together to help a Steelers defense perennially in the NFL’s upper echelon.
The parties have discussed this matter privately, per ESPN, but no progress has emerged. This would explain the matter becoming public, as the Steelers — after months of another T.J. Watt extension saga — have another cornerstone player to deal with on the contract front. Heyward, who rebounded from two groin surgeries after missing six 2023 games to post an eight-sack 2024, has been a high-end Watt sidekick in one of the sack era’s best inside-outside tandems. Heyward was open to exploring a post-Pittsburgh path last year, but his extension quieted that talk. Now, he will force the issue once again.
Heyward is going into his age-36 season, making it somewhat understandable — given his importance to the Steelers and the form he showed last season — he would be back at the table already. Though, the Steelers have rigid contract principles. They do not negotiate in-season, and they have traditionally refused to rip up deals before players’ contract years. Antonio Brown‘s past is worth recalling here.
The superstar wideout had outplayed his contract, soaring to back-to-back first-team All-Pro placements in 2014 and ’15. But two years remained on Brown’s deal in 2016. The Steelers did not budge, rather (as the Pat McAfee Show‘s Mark Kaboly reminds) moved $4MM from the mercurial wideout’s 2017 money into 2016 to placate him without setting a new contract precedent. The Steelers then extended Brown on a top-market deal early in the 2017 offseason. Brown, though, was only 28 when he landed a lucrative third contract. Heyward is much closer to the end of his career, and a 2025 decline would stand to weaken his negotiating position ahead of the 2026 offseason.
Heyward’s $14.5MM-per-year number represents a rare discount, as he was tied to a $16.4MM-AAV deal prior to that 2024 redo. Heyward’s current AAV figure sits 22nd among interior D-linemen. Far less accomplished players like Milton Williams and Zach Allen scored deals averaging more than $25MM per year, though they are obviously much younger and in better position to command that kind of money. But the offseason also saw the likes of Osa Odighizuwa reach $20MM per year and one-year Chiefs starter Tershawn Wharton top Heyward (at $15MM per).
Pittburgh’s longest-tenured player, who became the first 35-year-old D-lineman to be named first-team All-Pro since sack kingpin Bruce Smith in 1998, will attempt to use his absence to force at least a Brown-like update due to his value to the team ahead of what is expected to be an Aaron Rodgers one-and-done.
Heyward is not the only Steeler eyeing an updated contract. Chris Boswell is angling for new terms as well, according to Schefter and Pryor. One of the NFL’s best kickers, Boswell has dropped to the league’s 11th-highest-paid player at the position. Boswell is tied to a four-year, $20MM deal. The gap between Boswell and the highest-paid kickers is not nearly as wide as the Heyward gulf, but a number of specialists have passed him since that $5MM-per-year pact matched Justin Tucker atop the market in August 2022.
Like Heyward, however, Boswell is signed for two more seasons. If the Steelers do not break stride for one of the best defenders in team history, they certainly would pause with their kicker. Boswell, 34, is the team’s second-longest-tenured player. But he will likely need to wait in line here, as a true extension is unrealistic until 2026.
AFC Contract Details: Brown, Ramsey, Heyward, Carter, Bell
Here are some details on recent contracts reached around the NFL:
- Spencer Brown, T (Bills): Four years, $72MM. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 provided some contract details on Brown’s recent extension. The deal comes with a $6.4MM signing bonus and a $16MM option bonus that will pay out in 2025. An additional $7.1MM roster bonus will hit in 2026. The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia added the distinction that most of Brown’s $7.14MM base salary in 2026 will be vested in 2025.
- Jalen Ramsey, CB (Dolphins): Three years, $72.3MM. Per OvertheCap.com, Ramsey’s new extension comes with $24.24MM guaranteed at signing. The deal also contains a guaranteed 2025 roster bonus of $4MM paid in March and a guaranteed 2025 option bonus of $18.98MM due in Week 1 of next year. He can receive option bonuses of $8.14MM and $8.84MM in 2026 and 2027, respectively, and roster bonuses of $2MM from 2026 to 2028.
- Cameron Heyward, DT (Steelers): Two years, $29MM. While we had mentioned that most of Heyward’s guarantees came in the form of his signing bonus, OvertheCap.com shows us that the remaining guaranteed money comes from Heyward’s 2024 base salary of $1.3MM. Heyward can earn roster bonuses of $13.45MM in 2025 and $12.95MM in 2026.
- Michael Carter II, CB (Jets): Three years, $30.75MM. ESPN’s Rich Cimini tells us that Carter’s deal comes with a $6MM signing bonus that is included in the contract’s $13MM of guaranteed money at signing. There’s an additional $5.4MM guaranteed for injury. The deal also contains a guaranteed 2025 option bonus of $4MM.
- David Bell, WR (Browns): Two years, $2.44MM. Wilson tells us that Bell’s contract has base salaries of $1.11MM and $1.34MM. Bell can earn an additional $50K in a workout bonus in 2025.
Steelers, DT Cameron Heyward Agree To Extension
The Steelers’ latest extension efforts with Cameron Heyward have produced a deal. The All-Pro defensive lineman has an agreement in place on a another lucrative extension, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. The move is now official, per an announcement from his agency. 
Heyward is now attached to a three-year, $45MM deal, Fowler adds. The pact includes $29MM in new money along with $16MM in guarantees (nearly $15MM of which is comprised of a signing bonus). These terms will allow Heyward to reach his stated goal of finishing his career as a Steeler.
One year remained on the 35-year-old’s pact, but he made it clear this offseason he was seeking a two-year extension. Today’s news means he will be in place through 2026 as he intended and put to rest the possibility of a free agent departure next spring. Heyward has spent his entire 13 years in the NFL with Pittsburgh, and his decorated tenure will all-but certainly conclude in the city.
Arriving with the Steelers as a first-round pick in 2011, Heyward did not see any starts during his first two seasons with the team. Since then, he has been a stalwart along the defensive line, regularly providing a high-end pass rush presence in the interior. He earned a Pro Bowl nod every year from 2017 to ’22, posting double-digit sacks three times during that span.
Heyward landed a five-year extension in 2015, and a four-year re-up in 2020. He has proven to be a sound investment both times from the Steelers’ perspective, but last year saw him miss time due to a groin injury. Heyward was limited to just two sacks in 2023, and while he is now healthy questions were raised in the offseason about his long-term outlook. As Fowler notes, this is believed to be the largest commitment ever made to a defender at age 35 or older. Suffice it to say, the Steelers are banking on Heyward regaining his previous form.
With four All-Pro nods on his resume (three first-team, one second-team), the Ohio State alum could remain a key member of Pittsburgh’s highly-compensated defense if he manages to put together a healthy campaign. He was due $16MM in 2024 under the terms of his old deal, one which will be replaced by this new accord. Heyward’s scheduled cap hit of $22.41MM will be lowered by this agreement Specifically, his 2024 salary has been converted into a signing bonus; that will save the Steelers over $9MM in cap space (h/t Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).
It was learned earlier this week that Heyward – who floated the idea of joining a new team in free agency without a deal in place – had recently re-engaged with the Steelers on contract talks. Pittsburgh has a strict policy against negotiating in-season, creating Week 1 as a deadline for both parties to hammer out an agreement. That has now proven to be the case, and general manager Omar Khan has one less piece of business to attend to over the coming days.
Pittsburgh is also eyeing a deal with tight end Pat Freiermuth. 2024 marks the final year of his rookie contract, so getting an extension worked out on that front would prevent the potential of a March 2025 departure on the open market. Regardless of how that process plays out, Heyward will remain in the fold for the foreseeable future.
Steelers Discussing Extensions With DT Cameron Heyward, TE Pat Freiermuth
The Steelers have a strict policy against in-season contract negotiations. No exceptions will be made in 2024 with respect to new arrivals like quarterbacks Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, and the same applies for in-house players aiming for a new deal.
With that team-imposed deadline approaching, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes talks are ongoing between the Steelers and the camps of defensive tackle Cameron Heyward and tight end Pat Freiermuth. Both players are pending free agents whose financial futures have drawn attention earlier this offseason. It will be interesting to see if a deal can be struck with at least one before the regular season kicks off.
Heyward threatened to skip OTAs in the spring when he made his desire for a new deal known, although he wound up participating in the voluntary workouts along with minicamp and training camp. The three-time All-Pro is angling for a two-year extension, and his preference would be to remain in Pittsburgh to close out his career. Heyward has spent his entire 13-year tenure with the Steelers, serving as the anchor of the team’s defensive front for much of that time.
The 35-year-old earned a Pro Bowl nod every year from 2017-22, reaching double-digits sacks three times in that span. This past season was marred by a groin injury, though, and Heyward was limited to just two sacks, his lowest total since 2012. He will be healthy for the start of the coming campaign, and in the absence of a deal being worked out, the extent to which he regains his previous form will determine how willing the Steelers are to make another financial commitment. An update from July indicated team and player were not making progress toward an agreement, but Steelers GM Omar Khan more recently confirmed his expectation Heyward will be in the fold beyond 2024.
Heyward is due $16MM this season, but his cap hit sits at $22.41MM. The latter figure ranks second in 2024 cap charges for defensive linemen and 11th overall for defensive players. An extension would lessen Heyward’s cap hit in the immediate future, but with recent draft investments like Keeanu Benton, DeMarvin Leal and Logan Lee in place alongside veterans Larry Ogunjobi and Dean Lowry, Pittsburgh could be hesitant to make another multi-year commitment. Heyward ruled out the Browns as a potential 2025 free agent destination, but he is open to playing elsewhere if no new agreement is reached.
To little surprise, given the age difference between the players, Dulac adds that Freiermuth is likelier than Heyward to work out a deal in the coming days. The 25-year-old had an impressive start to his career, recording back-to-back 60-catch seasons. Freiermuth scored nine touchdowns during that time, leading to high expectations for the 2023 campaign. He was limited to 12 games last year, though, and only managed a 32-308-2 statline.
Nevertheless, Freiermuth is known to be on Pittsburgh’s extension radar. The Penn State alum is entering the final year of his rookie contract as things stand, putting him in line to collect $1.48MM. A long-term deal will of course check in at a much higher price, especially if the Steelers remain confident Freiermuth can perform at the level he did in 2021 and ’22. 11 tight ends are currently attached to an AAV of $10MM or more, and Freiermuth could join that group or at least take a step toward it on a second Pittsburgh contract.
The Steelers have George Pickens in place as their top receiver, but in the wake of not landing Brandon Aiyuk via trade questions have been raised about their depth at the position. Regardless of how Pittsburgh’s other wideouts perform, Freiermuth could handle a large offensive role while working under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith – someone whose scheme is known to be tight end-friendly. As the countdown to Week 1 continues, the status of both Heyward and Freiermuth will be worth monitoring.