Details over the incentives placed into Pittsburgh Steelers DL Cam Heyward’s contract literal hours before the regular season began have been revealed. As reported by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Heyward’s $3.2 million worth of incentives can be broken down into two categories:
1. $1.6 million for recording eight sacks *and* the Steelers making the playoffs
2. $1.6 million for recording 11.5 sacks *and* the Steelers winning a playoff game
Florio also notes if Heyward fails to log at least 30 percent of the defense’s snaps in 2025, his $12.95 million roster bonus due next offseason will decrease to just $875,000. A significant drop that protects Pittsburgh against injury.
For cap purposes, the first point falls into the “likely to be earned” (LTBE) category and counts against the Steelers’ 2025 cap. The second point is “unlikely to be earned” (NLTBE) and does not, counting against 2026 instead. Likely to be earned incentives are for goals reached the previous year. Because Heyward recorded eight sacks and Pittsburgh made the postseason in 2024, it falls into the LTBE bucket.
Both are still fairly lofty goals. Though Heyward continues to defy Father Time with a great 2024 season, recording eight sacks as an age-36 interior defensive lineman would be historic. Heyward failed to record one Sunday during the Steelers’ Week 1 game against the New York Jets.
Reaching 11.5 sacks is even harder to expect. He’s only achieved that once his entire career, notching 12 during his 2017 season when he was just 28 years old. Pittsburgh also has to win a playoff game, something that hasn’t happened since 2016. A year in which Heyward missed the Steelers’ playoff run while recovering from injury.
Heyward staged a mini hold-in throughout the summer after requesting the Steelers revise his contract. Heyward teased the idea of sitting out the regular-season opener before striking an agreement Saturday night after the team landed in East Rutherford, N.J., for the Jets game. These incentives certainly feel like “sweeteners” and not what Heyward was intending to accomplish. But he took whatever he could get. Pittsburgh, at the least, broke precedent by offering incentives in a non-quarterback contract and Heyward didn’t have to decide if he would suit up against the Jets or not.
Still, the negative PR Heyward absorbed in seeking a reworked deal hardly seems worth it for incentives he may not reach.
