NFL Rumors: Cam Heyward, Steelers Agree to 3-Year, $45M Contract; $29M in New Money

Six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Cam Heyward will remain with the Pittsburgh Steelers through 2026.

The longest tenured player on the Steelers' roster agreed to a three-year, $45 million contract to stay in Pittsburgh, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported.

The deal includes $16 million fully guaranteed and $29 million in new money, per Fowler.

Heyward was previously set to become a free agent in 2025 following the expiration of the four-year, $65 million deal he signed with the Steelers in 2020.

The signing ends a contract dispute that led to the 35-year-old skipping some voluntary offseason workouts for the first time in his Steelers career, per Fowler.

Heyward, the Steelers' first-round pick in the 2011 draft, is heading into his 14th season in Pittsburgh. He has served as a team defensive captain since 2015.

He recorded 2.0 sacks, three quarterback hits and 33 tackles, including six tackles for loss, in 2023.

The campaign marked a downswing from two consecutive seasons with at least 10.0 sacks as Heyward played through a Week 1 injury he later said left him barely able to run.

Heyward underwent groin surgery that sidelined him for six games, but he was visibly limited even after his return.

After undergoing a second "clean-up procedure" on the issue in February, he is expected to be healthy to begin the 2024 season, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Fowler.

Another Pro Bowl-caliber campaign could have raised Heyward's free-agency value, so the Steelers could be getting ahead of an anticipated bounce-back 2024 season from the veteran by extending him this offseason.

The new deal means Heyward, 35, could finish his NFL career in Pittsburgh after already cementing his place as one of the best Steelers defenders of all time. He enters the 2024 season tied with James Harrison's 80.5 career sacks for the second-most in franchise history.