Pittsburgh Steelers DE Cameron Heyward is not at voluntary workouts as he seeks a contract extension from the team, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor and Jeremy Fowler.
Heyward is coming off an injury-plagued 2023 season, and this is the first time he has missed voluntary workouts. The 35-year-old defensive end has been with the Steelers since 2011, and this is the first time he’s had any contract-related issues with the team.
Heyward is entering the last season of his contract, and clearly, he wants more long-term stability. With him sitting out offseason workouts, the team may have to look to expedite the process of extending him before things extend into training camp.
Heyward is due $16 million this season, and he may want new money this year on top of an extension to secure future earnings. He’s the only player we know of who is sitting out voluntary workouts, and given that Heyward is a leader and the longest-tenured player on the team, it’s a notable story to watch.
The Steelers have the cap space to give Heyward new money, but after a season in which he played just 11 games and registered only 33 total tackles and two sacks, it’ll be interesting to see where things end up between the team and the player.
For his career, Heyward has been one of the best defensive players in football and the heartbeat of an impressive Steelers defense. He has 80.5 career sacks and is a four-time All-Pro. It’s a little surprising to see things get to this point with Heyward, but he’s been vocal about wanting to get paid in the past.
When there was talk about Heyward potentially restructuring his deal to create cap space for the team this offseason, he was outspoken on his podcast about not doing so and people talking about his money.
We’ll see where things end up between the Steelers and Heyward, but hopefully, things don’t get messy if the situation drags on. The last thing the Steelers need heading into training camp and the regular season is a distraction with one of their leaders and best players, so they’ll likely look to do whatever they can to settle the situation with Heyward before it gets out of hand.
