It’s that time of year when athletes use their availability to negotiate better contracts, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are the latest team to have a top player prepared to sit out in quest of a new deal.
Much of the NFL offseason’s most important moments have passed.
In March, free agency began, and all of this year’s top players signed with new organizations. The annual NFL Draft took place in April, and all of this year’s top prospects have signed with their first NFL organization and are preparing for their first seasons in the league. We are now into the holdout phase of the offseason.
Cameron Heyward’s contract: four years, $65.6 million.
There has been much speculation regarding the future of San Francisco 49ers top receiver Brandon Aiyuk, including whether he will be a camp holdout as he pursues a significant increase in the final year of his deal.
However, the Pittsburgh Steelers are already in the early stages of a months-long holdout with a key player. Rookie minicamps began this week across the league, with optional minicamps beginning the next week.
It is an event that many veterans do not attend, but Steelers captain Cameron Heyward is making an early public statement that he is not thrilled with the fact that he is in the final year of his deal and has no plans to be there at voluntary camp this month.
“You gotta do what’s right for you,” Heyward said on a new edition of his podcast “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward.” “I’m training hard. It’s nothing I’m not doing on and off the field. I’m doing everything possible. We’ll get there when we get there.”
Cameron Heyward stats (2023): 11 games, 2 sacks, 33 tackles, 3 QB hits
The six-time Pro Bowler is in the final year of a four-year, $65.6 million extension he signed in 2021. Heyward is a team captain and a major part of the current Steelers roster, however, at 35 years old the organization may be hesitant to lock themselves into a multi-year deal and want to take a wait-and-see approach to see if he is fully recovered from the torn groin muscle he suffered last season.
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