Steelers, Heyward agree to 3-year contract
The deal is valued at $45M and virtually ensures he’ll retire in Pittsburgh.
If Cameron Heyward fulfills his wish of playing three more NFL seasons, he’ll get a chance to do it with the Pittsburgh Steelers and be a “one-helmet” NFL player.
The veteran defensive lineman agreed to a three-year contract Tuesday, the team announced. The deal runs through the 2026 season.
The contract is worth $45 million and includes $29 million in new money and $16 million guaranteed, with nearly $15 million in signing bonus, according to ESPN.
The $16 million guaranteed matches what Heyward was scheduled to earn in base salary this season. By giving Heyward a signing bonus, the Steelers can reduce his salary cap hit for this season by approximately $9 million.
Heyward, 35, was entering the final year of his contract and said he wanted to play three more seasons. A week ago, however, Heyward wasn’t optimistic about the two sides reaching an agreement.
“I just want to play. I want to be here,” he said. “I want to have one helmet, but that is for them to decide.”
The 14th-year veteran was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March. The Steelers, who cease contract negotiations once the regular season begins, locked up one of their priority signings. The focus now shifts to signing tight end Pat Freiermuth, who is scheduled to become a free agent in March.
A team co-captain each year since 2015, Heyward is seventh in Steelers history in games played at 194. Only two players have had longer tenures as members of the Steelers: Mike Webster and Ben Roethlisberger.
Last season was arguably his least productive since he became a starter in 2013. A groin injury that lingered after a return to action contributed to Heyward, at age 34, accumulating just two sacks and 33 tackles in 11 games. Heyward had surgery early in the season and again after the Super Bowl.
“There is plenty of motivation in that,” Heyward said about doubts he can still produce at a high level. “I’ve had to eat it and absorb it. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I want to make your opinion wrong. I just look forward to playing good football.”
Heyward has been named to the Pro Bowl six times and is a three-time first-team All-Pro selection. He earned the NFL’s biggest off-field honor in February when he was named the Walter Payton Man of the Year.
After skipping the first two weeks of voluntary offseason workouts in the spring, Heyward was a regular participant in practices at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex and during training camp at Saint Vincent College. He elected not to take part in a “holdin.”
“I needed to prove to everyone that I was healthy, especially with what happened last year,” Heyward said last week. “I still want to win. As much as I want things to go right for me, I want things to go right for the Steelers. I want to be a contributor to this team and not a distraction.”
