BREAKING: Cam Heyward & The Steelers Get A Deal DONE Hours Before Season Opener

BREAKING: Cam Heyward & The Steelers Get A Deal DONE Hours Before Season Opener

Welcome in to Steelers Talk. I’m your host, Jack Sperry. Uh sorry for the video and probably audio quality here, guys. I’m actually out with Cassie uh getting our engagement photos uh done here. But we get breaking news just hours before the start of the Steelers 2025 regular season against the New York Jets that team captain and all prodefensive tackle Cam Hayward have agreed uh on a deal here to give him over $3 million in incentives for the 2025 season. in order uh to make him feel a little bit more valued by this organization heading into the year and honestly to give him a little bit of something to play for. His base salary is super low. He made a big-time bonus during the off seasonason, so he’s not really making a whole ton of money during the season. Uh this contract allows him to have something to play for here. uh where if he can hit certain metrics along the way in terms of probably tackles, TFLs, sacks, playoff wins, stuff like that, uh he’s going to be able to make uh up to uh you know, over $3 million more uh this season. So, make sure you guys click that subscribe button yet if you haven’t already, guys, cuz whether I’m coming to you from my car, whether I’m coming to you from my home, whether I’m coming to you from the office, whether I’m on vacation, if breaking news for the Pittsburgh Steelers breaks any point during the year, I’m going to get you guys a video on this channel. So, make sure you guys click that subscribe button for the most dedicated Steelers coverage anywhere on YouTube. So, let’s uh break this down a little bit more here, guys. The reason why I like this structure, and there’s kind of two ways that you could have uh struck a deal with Cam Hayward here. You could have moved some of his roster bonus uh for next year to a signing bonus this year. Uh but if you did that, then yeah, that that would pretty much force the Pittsburgh Steelers to renegotiate Cam’s contract again next off season. And I don’t think anybody wants to do that. All right. So, I think that putting incentives in here is a really smart move by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Uh because if Cam Hayward, like if he gets injured or if he uh doesn’t live up to the billing of a first team allpro caliber player like he did last year, then he’s not going to get much of this money. If any of this money, he might not make any of this money. If you say he get he gets injured early in the year or something like that or if he’s just not the same caliber of player and he regresses, he’s not going to be able to hit any of the incentives in this deal and he’s not going to make any of this money. But if he is the player that we know him to be, I mean, again, just last year, a first team allprode defensive tackle, led the team in PBUS with 11 as a DT, um, you know, had eight sacks, multiple TFLs, like this guy’s impact on the Steelers defense is immense. And this is why in yesterday’s video, guys, I was talking about why I would pay Cam Hayward and I would get a deal done with him because and I would I would have been willing to pay him up to like 1012 million and move some of that roster bonus over. But I actually like this better because obviously it’s not as much money. It’s just a little bit over $3 million in um an additional money for Cam. Uh but if he doesn’t hit those uh metrics and those incentives uh that are in this contract, that cap just moves over to the 2026 season. So uh if he doesn’t hit it, then you got some additional cap space for 2026. But if he does hit it, then obviously he’s earned it, right? He’s he’s earned it on the field because I think we can all agree that Cam Hayward is absolutely still a top 10 defensive tackle in the National Football League. And even if he does hit these incentives, guys, he is still extremely underpaid for a player of his caliber. And he is still an extremely good value for the Pittsburgh Steelers uh heading into this season. I mean, like even if he hits every single one of these incentives, he’s not even getting paid in like the top 15 of defensive tackles in the National Football League. So to have a player that’s this good um you know making the money that he’s making and you know is really the value that he is on your roster like that is a hell of a player to have on your team as you get ready to hopefully embark on a Super Bowl journey here where you’re legitimately putting yourself in contention to win a seventh Lombardi trophy here with Aaron Rogers with Jaylen Ramsay with TJ Watt with John Smith with DK Metaf with all these guys that we have here on the roster man and as we get ready for our first live watch party tomorrow, man. Uh, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting on this season and what it could mean and what what this season could be. And I can’t wait to go on this journey with you guys, man, because when you have a first ballot Hall of Fame quarterback leading the way in Aaron Rodgers, you got a young and talented offensive line that’s really going to have to step up, but has a lot of talent, have looked really good during training camp in the preseason. when he got a running back in Jaylen Warren that’s as efficient as he is. When he got wide receivers that can get open down the field like the Steelers have, when he got a tight end room that they’ve got that can really give them a competitive advantage. And then how could I forget the defense here uh that has incredible talent to all three levels of that unit. Whether you’re talking about uh run defense, whether you’re talking about pass rush, whether you’re talking about linebacker uh ability there with Patrick Queen and Peyton Wilson, or you want to talk about go being able to go up manto man in the secondary, man, like this is something that I am really excited about, guys. You guys know my enthusiasm for this football team, and Cam Hayward, frankly, is I’m going to adjust my camera here for just a second here, guys. Uh uh my enthusiasm for this team, and you know, Cam Hayward was a big part of that. You know, he’s a fantastic team leader. obviously is extremely productive as a player. He was last year first team allpro caliber player that you’re now retaining. You don’t have to worry about him not suiting up tomorrow or anything like that. You know, this is just a really good move because it allows the Steelers uh a to have Cam Hayward on the field tomorrow. You don’t have to worry about him holding out or anything uh like that. Uh but also you you you get to really uh you you get to really get what your money is worth, right? Right. If Cam Hayward isn’t worth the extra money, he’s not going to get the extra money. So, this is just a perfect fit here. I think Omar Khan did an excellent job. Once again, not giving Cam too much money here and not giving too much of it up front like it would have been in a signing bonus. I like the idea of doing this with an incentivebased structure where if Cam earns it, he’s going to get his money and frankly, he will have earned his money uh if he ends up going out there and hitting these incentive markers. Um, but if he doesn’t, if he gets injured, if he declines, you know, whatever the case may be, uh, he’s not going to make this extra money and that cap just rolls over to the 2026 season where, you know, you can kind of use that cap space however you wish in free agency on a player via trade, whatever the case may be. Um, so I just think that this sets up the Steelers here to make that money and that cap space worth it no matter what. So, really love this contract structure uh for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I’m glad that Cam Hayward frankly has an opportunity to play for something here in 2025 because like frankly guys, I’ve been I’ve been discussing this on the show for a while. He deserves this money. All right? Like he went out there and absolutely balled out and like the Philadelphia Eagles gave both Saquon Barkley and Zack Bond big payraises this off season uh after they became first team all pros last year. Obviously, Saquon was the offensive player of the year as well. And that’s what good organizations do, man. reward their good players for playing at an allp pro level, and that’s exactly what the Steelers are doing here. It took right up until the last second, but we got it done here, guys. Cam Hayward’s going to be out there. He’s going to be happy. He’s going to be ready and gearing to go. As Mike Tomlin said this week, he’s going to be chomping at the bit to be ready to get after Justin Fields tomorrow. And uh there’s going to be a lot of positive energy in that Steelers locker room tomorrow, which you absolutely love with Cam Hayward, the team captain, the heartbeat and the soul of this locker room. Uh you know, getting his deal done. There’s going to be a lot of people out there, of course, playing for Aaron Rogers, wanting to get this win uh against his former team, but also they want to go out there and play well uh for for Cam, you know, who just got that great deal. Um, and he’s going to be out there, you know, with TJ Watt, with Alex Heist, with Keano Benton, this this whole crew that I expect to be one of the best pass rushers in the National Football League. And hopefully they’re going to be able to eat tomorrow uh afternoon. All right, that’s going to be it for me today, guys. Cassie and I, we got to go get some dinner here. Uh, but we’re going to be uh going live tomorrow for our live watch party. It all starts at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time. Steelers versus Jets. 90 minutes of pregame coverage followed by live playbyplay for all four quarters. And then of course our extensive postgame coverage as well. Watch party season is officially here, guys. Get a good night’s sleep because tomorrow, man, Aaron Rodgers plays a football game for the Pittsburgh Steelers and I could not be more excited. Make sure you guys click that subscribe button if you haven’t already. Until next time, guys. Here we go. Steelers.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and AP All-Pro DT Cameron Heyward reached terms on a contract negotiation that adds $3 MM in incentives. Heyward expressed frustration with the Steelers in the past offseason and hinted at potentially sitting out games. This deal ends any questions about his status against the New York Jets for the season opener. Jack Sperry breaks down what this means for the Steelers and more Steelers news and rumors on today’s Steelers Talk by Chat Sports.

Want to keep up with all the latest Steelers news and rumors? Subscribe to Steelers Talk to know all of the latest from the Pittsburgh Steelers:
https://www.youtube.com/SteelersTV?sub_confirmation=1

2024 Steelers Defensive Stat Leaders:
TJ Watt: 61 TKL, 19 TFL, 11.5 SACK, 6 FF, 2 FR, 4 PBU
Cam Heyward: 71 TKL, 12 TFL, 8 SACK, 11 PBU
Alex Highsmith: 45 TKL, 9 TFL, 6 SACK, 1 FF, 2 PBU
Nick Herbig: 22 TKL, 5 TFL, 5.5 SACK, 4 FF, 2 FR
Patrick Queen: 129 TKL, 6 TFL, 1 SACK, 7 PBU, 2 FF, 1 FR
DeShon Elliott: 108 TKL, 5 TKL, 6 PBU, 1 INT, 2 FF, 3 FR
Joey Porter Jr.: 70 TKL, 2 TFL, 7 PBU, 1 INT
Donte Jackson: 38 TKL, 2 TFL, 8 PBU, 5 INT, 1 FR
Beanie Bishop Jr.: 45 TKL, 2 TFL, 0.5 SACK, 7 PBU, 4 INT, 1 FR

Here’s some more Steelers YouTube videos for you to check out if you’re looking for more insight on the Black & Gold:
– Steelers Rumors: Will Cam Heyward Really SIT OUT Tomorrow’s Season Opener vs. The Jets? | Q&A – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-npJEGCX1gY
– Steelers News: Cam Heyward OPENS THE DOOR To Sitting Out Games + Sauce Gardner Injury Update – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LkoMDYrKQc
– Steelers 2026 QB Draft Target Watch List (Week 2): 8 College QBs Steelers Fans Should Be Watching – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5pcxe8QNC0

Let us know you are a real one by answering questions from today’s video.
– Grade the Cam Heyward extension! A, B, C, D or F

If you’re excited about the future of the Pittsburgh Steelers, HIT THAT THUMBS UP ICON!

Never miss any of the latest NFL, NBA, and college football news & rumors by following @chatsports on social media and subscribing on YouTube:
– X: https://x.com/ChatSports
– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatsports
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chatsports

Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 Schedule:
Week 1: at Jets (1pm ET)
Week 2: vs. Seahawks (1pm ET)
Week 3: at Patriots (1pm ET)
Week 4: vs. Vikings (Dublin, 9:30pm ET)
Week 5: BYE
Week 6: vs. Browns (1pm ET)
Week 7: at Bengals (TNF)
Week 8: vs. Packers (SNF)
Week 9: vs. Colts (1pm ET)
Week 10: at Chargers (SNF)
Week 11: vs. Bengals (1pm ET)
Week 12: at Bears (1pm ET)
Week 13: vs. Bills (4:25pm ET)
Week 14: at Ravens (1pm ET)
Week 15: vs. Dolphins (MNF)
Week 16: at Lions (4:25pmET)
Week 17: at Browns (1pm ET)
Week 18: vs. Ravens (TBD)

#SteelersNews #Steelers #CameronHeyward #SteelersRumors #CameronHeywardContract