Cam Heyward Expected to Play for Steelers vs. Jets amid Contract Rumors, Tomlin Says

Veteran defensive lineman Cam Heyward and the Pittsburgh Steelers have been embroiled in a contract dispute, but head coach Mike Tomlin doesn't believe it will affect his status for Week 1.

"I'm certainly expecting Cam to play," he told reporters Tuesday. "Cam doesn't play a lot in team development over the last several years. My job is to get him in and out of Latrobe, and I've done my job. And so, there are no reservations about his participation or his readiness. I'm sure he's champing at the bit."

Heyward's availability will be especially important early in the season, with first-rounder Derrick Harmon set to miss the opener with an MCL sprain.

Granted, Heyward hasn't exactly said publicly that he would play. On his Not Just Football podcast Tuesday, the star answered "We'll see" when asked if he would play and said there were no updates on his contract situation. He's seeking a raise on his $14.5 million average annual salary, and his first-team All-Pro nod in 2024 suggests he deserves it.

"I'm looking to be valued," he told reporters earlier in August. "... I know what I bring to this team and what I'm capable of on and off the field, so it's hard for me, after the year I've had, to really justify playing at the number I'm playing at. I understand I signed a contract last year, but to be completely honest with you, when I signed that, I told him when I have an All-Pro year expecting me to come back and you can look at the contract and see what it was. But I think everybody kind of giggled a little bit, but in my head, I used it as motivation to go out there and prove it."