DK’s Daily Shot of Steelers: This is dumb, Cam Heyward

DK’s Daily Shot of Steelers: This is dumb, Cam Heyward

[Music] Cam Hayward is a smart guy, my friends. One of the smartest I’ve had the good fortune to cover in my many years around this football team, but this this is dumb. Good morning to you. Good Friday morning. I’m Dan Kawatri of DK Pittsburgh Sports and this is Daily Shot of Steelers. It comes your way bright and early every weekday. If you’re into hockey andor baseball, I also offer daily shots on the other two teams in town that I cover. Those being, of course, the Penguins and the Pirates. I hope you’ll check those out as well. Either Cam or his agent or both did something really dumb yesterday. And I’m sorry that I can’t find a softer adjective for it than dumb. Either Cam or his agent or both went to a reporter who doesn’t even cover the Steelers and shared their sentiment that Cam should be getting a restructured contract from the Steelers. right now, less than a year after his most recent extension that’ll pay him $29 million over 2 years. An extension that, by the way, was seen by a lot of people, including right here in Pittsburgh as a risk for the Steelers considering that Cam is now 36. that contract coming after Cam had a wonderful year all prose spectacular stuff actually outplayed that contract but his salary what he’s making this coming season it’s 14.75 million of that 13.45 four five million almost all of it was already paid to him as a roster bonus in March. So the first area of dumb here if you will is going through everything that he went through last summer and everything that Omar Khan and everybody associated with the Steelers went through to get him an extension that very much could have been seen as a risk. He had an offseason surgery for crying out loud in 2024, but they agreed to terms on a contract that both parties signed. What changes in the interim? Well, other players got paid. That always happens after you sign a contract, by the way. Other players will get paid. Someone else on his own defense got paid a whole lot more. That of course being TJ Watt who will now make an average annual salary of 41 million over the coming three years. Almost triple what Cam will get. But again, Cam just signed this contract and other people will beat you five minutes after your own deal is signed. That’s the way it’s been throughout the history of sports, throughout the history of everything in business. Really bad look. Even if Cam is in hindsight being underpaid for the performance that he had in 2024, because no less an authority than Cam himself forecast that he was going to be one of the best defensive linemen in the league again. And he was, but he signed that contract that got him the compensation that he agreed to, even though he believed and was right that he’d again become what he again became. Dumb. Really smart guy. Really dumb move. But wait, it gets worse. I don’t know that anybody anywhere has pronounced that this coming season will be the one in which the Steelers need to go win one for Cam and TJ. But you’ve heard it, right? I’ve said it on occasion. I’ve heard it from others. Now, I haven’t seen anybody making banners out of it in Latroe. I haven’t heard the players talking about it, but I’d say it’s a pretty reasonable guess that if the Steelers were to have even a strong start, you’d start hearing it out loud. Well, imagine a motivation where the goal is to win one for Cam and TJ and Cam doesn’t feel like participating because that’s the other thing that’s in play now. No, this really hasn’t been a true hold in. Cam did participate in some drills in what’s called the acclamation period, the first few days of training camp in Latrobe. It’s only over the past few that he’s stayed on the sidelines sometimes even like yesterday and I saw him across the other side of the field in sweats. He’s still engaged. He’s still talking to everybody. He’s being encouraging and whatever else here, but no, he is not participating. So, this hasn’t even really been a true hold in unless maybe it’s that now. in which case, wow, no dumb, the very individual who on his own podcast called out Aaron Rogers earlier this summer in asking, “Do you want to be a Steeler or not?” in terms of making up his mind about signing and showing up for the various summer workouts. That individual is now standing off to the side. And I’m going to say this again. After having been initially involved himself, Cam did not hold out or hold in for mini camp. Cam did not hold out or hold in for the start of training camp. It’s just now that this has hit him like from outer space. And it’s just now that it’s dawned on him that trying to squeeze a few extra million dollars out of the Steelers is more important than winning his first playoff game since January 15 of 2017. Oh, and by the way, winning his first Super Bowl since 200. And this player who has exhibited so much class over the years, so much pride, the Walter Payeyton man of the year for his work in the community, the chief award winner for cooperation with the local media, a perennial allpro or pro bowl player, takes all of those things to various degrees and just rolls them up in a big wad of tape and flings them into the waste basket Over what? Over what? He can’t be serious. He or his agent or both can’t be serious here. And I don’t want to leave this out either because it’s not just going to be dumb on that side if the Steelers bend over for this. Omar Khan has no cause whatsoever to reopen a contract that was completed less than a year ago. He does have cause to get into a conversation with Chris Boswell. I did an entire episode of this very program a month ago. Bos is entering this year with no guaranteed money left on his contract. Now, you know, and I know they’re not going to cut him, but no guaranteed money means no guaranteed money. He’s also the 11th best paid kicker in the NFL, and you and I know where he actually ranks among the kickers. That’s got some merit. That’s worth sitting down. That’s worth a real honest, dependable negotiation. This, no, that would be dumb. The whole thing is dumb. When we come back, J1Q [Music] Luxembourg Garbet Kelly and George is a personal injury law firm in Western Pennsylvania that represents injured people in automobile accidents, workers compensation cases, and medical malpractice claims. The attorneys at Luxembourg, Garbid, Kelly, and George pride themselves in doing what they say they’re going to do. It’s important to them that when they make you a promise, they keep that promise. And this law firm has been keeping promises for over 80 years. Luxembourg Garbet Kelly and George has been AV rated. That’s the highest rating a law firm can receive for legal ability and ethics. And the lawyers at the firm have been designated super lawyers, that’s a real thing, for over 15 years. Rare combination there. Luxembourg, Garvet, Kelly, and George has offices in Cranberry, Newcastle, Beaver Falls, Butler, and Elwood City. Learn more about them at lgk.com or by calling 8888425454. Again, that’s 8888425454. [Music] Before we get to J1 Q, just in case anybody’s wondering, uh Cam Hayward did not comment or declined to be interviewed, more specifically when he came off the field yesterday and the reporters who cover the team on a regular basis had asked to speak to him about this thing that he andor his agent decided would be prudent to give to a reporter who doesn’t cover the team. Just not a very very good day in Camdom. And that was the least of it, but I’m just pointing it out for full context here. I haven’t seen anything this dumb by anybody associated with the Steelers since Levian Bell and his agent just perfected the art of dumb a few years ago. Anyway, today’s J1Q comes from Jim Lavra, who says, “Hi DK. Looking at the consistent concerns with the offensive line, notably the tackles. It seems like the interior always seems to be decent center and both guards including the rookies last year. Is it possible that the Steelers would consider hiring someone specifically to coach up the tackles while letting Pat Meyer focus on the interior? Everyone’s looking for a, you know, solution that they can just snap their fingers and feel great about, let’s call it what it is, Brick Jones. Well, I’m going to help you along with that today, Jim, without firing Meyer or splitting his job into two because that’s not going to happen. You’re not going to see offensive line get fragmented the way you you’ve seen over the years. For example, linebackers and maybe someday soon you’ll see cornerbacks and safeties because yesterday was probably Brick Jones’s best day at camp. He wasn’t perfect and he wasn’t facing the Steelers best. He wasn’t going at Alex Heismith or TJ Watt, although hemith would be the guy on his side usually, but he was going at Nick Herbig, who’s the type of edge rusher who’s given broad more problems than the bull rushing types, although those guys have been trouble at times for him as well. And Herbig came and he kept coming all day. Uh he’s got that one move that he prefers where he’s kind of James Harrisoning his way under the left tackle’s left armpit, but he also will just turn on the jets and try to get right around that tackle also to the same side. On a couple of occasions as he was going at Jones, he faked as if he was going to do his usual move. Tried to go to the inside. My friends, Broad had all of it stopped. All of it. There were times that I thought he leaned a little bit too hard on knowing that in training camp nobody’s allowed to hit the quarterback and he allowed Herbig or someone else to get a little bit too close after they would complete an extrairuitous route. But you’ll take the progress, you’ll take the W and you hope that he’ll carry it into Jacksonville tomorrow night. Preseason games don’t mean much to very many people. It should mean something to him because it was at this stage a year ago that he got tormented by the Bills Greg Rouso and it just kept coming after that. So set something right in an upward direction. Build on it in practice. Build on it further in that joint session they’re having with the Buccaneers next Thursday. Just keep going. They’re not going to fire the offensive line coach before the season. They’re not going to split his job in two. They’re not going to move Darnell Washington to left tackle. And they’re absolutely not going to go out and acquire a starting left tackle between now and the 7th of September. I keep saying this and I’m going to do so until I am purple in the face. Jones is what you’ve got. Focus on making him better. Stop thinking about escape hatches. There are none. Not from this scenario. the way it’s currently set up. I appreciate the question. I appreciate everybody who listens to Daily Shot of Steelers. Today at 400 PM, we’re going to do a double shot of Steelers live. You can find that on the DK Pittsburgh Sports app, as well as our YouTube channel and other social media. After which, it’s time to fly down to Jacksonville. Hope to see you guys then. [Music]

This is dumb and self-defeating, Cam Heyward.

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