Last offseason, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward found himself in an impossible situation with the team. Heyward was heading into the final year of his contract but coming off of his worst season since his rookie year because of injuries. Heyward could have played out his contract and bet on himself to turn things around but instead, Heyward signed a fairly modest extension worth $29 million over two years with $16 million in guarantees.
But this wasn’t the end of the contract negotiation for Heyward. According to ESPN NFL reporter Brooke Pryor, Heyward told the Steelers when he signed his deal that he’d be back for a raise if he had a Pro Bowl season. And boy did he.
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Heyward had a huge bounce-back and finished with eight sacks and 71 total tackles. Just as important, Heyward started all 17 games and was playing as well in January as he was in September.
Heyward said on Monday he’s prepared to sit out regular-season games if he doesn’t have a new contract, and frankly, we believe him. If the Steelers do as well, there is no point in wasting any time getting him signed and focusing on the upcoming season.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers DT Cam Heyward warned the Steelers last year this would happen