Cam Heyward Agrees to Contract Restructuring; Steelers Save $3M in Cap Space

Defensive end Cam Heyward reportedly agreed to restructure his contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Steelers created more than $3 million of cap space by restructuring Heyward's deal, which initially carried a cap hit of $10.4 million in 2017. 

Heyward and the Steelers agreed to terms on a six-year, $59.2 million contract in July 2015 after the Ohio State product tallied a career-high 7.5 sacks in 2014. 

Heyward followed up by registering 7.0 sacks in 2015, but he was limited to seven appearances last season due to a hamstring issue and a pectoral injury that ultimately landed him on injured reserve. 

With additional cash flow at their disposal, the Steelers will be in a position to make one last push for an extension with defensive line Stephon Tuitt before the season starts. 

According to ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler, Tuitt—who is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 2018—said Aug. 24 he thought the odds of the two sides reaching an agreement before Week 1 were "50/50."

"[Tuitt] is deserving of whatever they give him," Heyward said, per Fowler. "He is still growing. He's not a complete player yet. His ceiling is so high. He's a great pass-rusher and he's just going to continue to grow and get better." 

On Wednesday, Tuitt said the two sides were still talking with the team's season opener four days away. 

"It's ongoing," he said, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ray Fittipaldo. "Hopefully, everything is close. Right now I'm worried about getting better every day to get ready for the Browns."