For the first time in his career—other than his rookie season—Cameron Heyward is not at OTAs. Back in 2011, the NFL locked the players out without a CBA, so the Pittsburgh Steelers had no OTAs. This year is very different; he’s not there at age 35 because it’s a negotiating tactic.
Heyward is coming off arguably his worst season as a starter, but it’s not nearly that simple. He spent the entire season injured, whether on or off the field. After resting most of training camp, he aggravated a groin injury in the season opener. That left him on the shelf for several weeks, and unsurprisingly, he didn’t play to full capacity when he returned. During the offseason, he also had to have surgery to fully address the issue.
That never stopped fans and other commentators alike from laying into him for his performance. Indeed, many vocal fans seem entirely in favor of parting company, at least at the price point. The Steelers are paying Heyward a $16 million base salary for 2024, and many believe he doesn’t deserve that much. Rather than a contract extension, many wanted him to accept a pay cut or a release.
“Just know it’s all screenshotted”, Heyward said with a laugh during his latest Not Just Football podcast episode. “Everybody has been having an opinion, and that is just great for me, I tell you that. That is the icing on the cake to all this. And I appreciate you, I love you guys, it’s great you guys all have opinions, and I value them. But I can’t wait to have some fun with this”.
Not only has he weathered heavy criticism for his salary (and his defense of his salary), Heyward is now under fire for skipping OTAs as we dissect his comments for potential nuances. He says he is doing what is best for him while fans try to argue that he’s not. Skipping voluntary activities during contract negotiations has been par for the course for many, many years, however.
And lest we forget, Heyward is also only a few months removed from significant surgery. Even if he weren’t a veteran who doesn’t need the work, he is likely taking it easy at OTAs anyway. The only thing he’s actually missing is being a presence for his teammates, but that’s not unfamiliar territory for other greats of the past like Troy Polamalu.
Heyward talked about playing after his injury following in-season surgery back in February. He said he “just couldn’t explode like I wanted to” and that it “looked like I was running with a board between my legs”. He also said he ended up tearing his abdomen partially for overcompensating for his opposite side. That’s a common tendency recovering from sports injuries when you try to mitigate damage impact on one side.
Of course Heyward’s performance declined while playing through significant injury, otherwise coming off one of his best seasons. He finished 2023 with just 33 tackles with six tackles for loss, two sacks, and one pass defensed. A year earlier, he has 74 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and four passes defensed. But clearly he’s washed after watching him play 443 injury-riddled snaps nine months later.
