Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro Cam Heyward returned to practice Tuesday after skipping weeks of training camp sessions in search of a renegotiated contract.
Heyward was seen by reporters participating in individual drills during the open portion of practice. Head coach Mike Tomlin said after practice that Heyward also participated in the padded portion of team drills that was closed to media.
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ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, meanwhile, reported that there hasn’t been any movement on Heyward’s desire for a renegotiated contract. Heyward still seeks a restructured deal with a raise, per the report, but he was willing to put pads on Tuesday for the first time since starting his hold-in on Aug. 7.
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It’s a stark turn from Heyward’s comments on Aug. 11, when he told reporters that it’s hard to “justify playing at the number I’m playing at.” Heyward did not speak with media on Tuesday.
Heyward’s underpaid, but lacks leverage after signing deal
Heyward, 36, signed a two-year, $29 million contract extension in 2024 that covers the 2025 and 2026 seasons. His salary is considerably below his market value as a first-team All-Pro defensive tackle.
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Per Over the Cap, Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones is the NFL’s highest-paid interior defensive lineman with an average annual salary of $31.75 million per year. Fifteen interior lineman make $20 million or more per season. Heyward, meanwhile, is making $14.5 million per season on his current deal.
But he signed it last summer coming off a 2023 campaign in which he missed six games and didn’t make the Pro Bowl for the first time in seven seasons. In 2024, he returned to All-Pro form and was named first-team All-Pro for the fourth time in his career.
Heyward told reporters on Aug. 11 when he addressed his hold-in that he told the Steelers when he signed the extension in 2024 to expect him back at the negotiating table if he made an All-Pro team.
“It’s hard for me, after the year that I had, to really justify playing at the number I’m playing at,” Heyward said. “I understand I signed a contract last year.
“But to be completely honest with you, when I signed that, I told them, ‘When I have an All-Pro year, expect me to come back.’ … I think everybody kind of giggled a little bit. But in my head, I used it as motivation to go out there and prove it.”
Heyward reportedly first approached the Steelers about renegotiating his deal in February. He showed up to training camp in late July without a new deal and had been a hold-in for several weeks until returning to practice fully on Tuesday.
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Now, with one preseason game remaining the schedule, Heyward’s back in pads and appears to be preparing to get into football shape ahead of Pittsburgh’s Week 1 game against the New York Jets on Sept. 7.
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