Hi, welcome to my TEDx talk, where I attempt to explain why Pittsburgh Steelers DL Cameron Heyward likely feels he’s acting in his own best interests by skipping OTAs, something he’s never done previously. It has become a major talking point this past week as he pushes for a contract extension from the front office.
While Heyward hasn’t gone into great detail as of yet behind his decision, I don’t think the motivation is hard to figure out. To put it in the simplest terms possible, skipping OTAs is the only leverage that he has right now. And the fact that he’s been to OTAs every other year of his career is precisely why he feels so.
Having recently turned 35 and coming off an injury-plagued season, Heyward understands he’s not bargaining from a position of strength. He’s already on the books for $16 million for the 2024 season, but this isn’t about 2024. It’s about 2025 and 2026, maybe even 2027.
By skipping OTAs, it’s the only means Heyward really has at his disposal to signify that he’s serious. We’re talking about a quintessential Pittsburgh Steelers player who’s bled Black and Gold all his life. There’s a reason his teammates named him a captain a long time ago and do so every year. He is a true ambassador and symbol both for the organization and for the concept of “Steelers football” itself.
So who is going to take Heyward seriously when he makes comments like “we’ll see” about his future with the Steelers? He’s the guy who’s always there. But what if he’s not there? Do you notice how much of a story it is that he’s not at OTAs? Suddenly it matters. Suddenly his absence is significant. What is he thinking!? He needs to be there, he’s the captain! Where is his leadership?
Well, I guess his leadership and his presence are valuable now, aren’t they? Why isn’t Cameron Heyward showing a commitment to the team that he captains? Perhaps it’s a symbolic gesture speaking to his desire for a commitment to him from that very same team.
Once again, Heyward hasn’t said much about the whys, but one thing he definitely hasn’t said is, “I want more money”. Maybe he does want more money—after all, the cap has skyrocketed since his last deal. But we don’t know what his economic demands are. He earned $16.4 million per season in new money on his last extension in 2020.
When healthy, he played excellent football since then, including some of his best seasons as recently as 2022. But he never played healthy last year, and that’s his “what have you done for me lately” tape.
Sure, teams are understandably reluctant to pay players on long-term deals this late in their careers. There is some practical sense to that, because you anticipate an approaching decline. I think Heyward wants that commitment more than the bag. He’s gotten the bag a couple times already.
And ultimately, I see all of this resolving in relatively orderly fashion. He’ll be on the field for the start of the regular season, perhaps with a nice new extension, and that’s all that will matter. It certainly won’t matter four months from now where he was in mid-May.
