Cam Heyward signs three-year extension with Steelers

Cam Heyward signs three-year extension with Steelers

Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers captain Cam Heyward signed a new three-year, $45 million extension with the organization, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler was among the first to report Tuesday. The deal will include $29 million in new money with $16 million guaranteed, per Fowler.

Sources: The #Steelers and six-time Pro Bowl DE Cam Heyward have agreed to a three-year, $45M deal that includes $29 million in new money and $16 million fully guaranteed.
 
Heyward, 35, who had $16M left on the final year of his previous deal, is now under contract through 2026,… pic.twitter.com/Ca41KhT9sK

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) September 3, 2024

After the news was announced, Heyward posted pictures on social media of him signing the contract.

How unlikely! Yet here we are. Thanks @steelers pic.twitter.com/KZ3rNDhlbT

— Cam Heyward (@CamHeyward) September 3, 2024

Heyward previously expressed wanting to be a “one-helmet guy,” a feat that’s few and far in-between in professional sports.

“There are certain guys who are one-helmet guys,” Heyward said in June. “I want to be one of those one-helmet guys. There’s a hunger and a desire there, but that doesn’t mean just hanging it up and calling it a career. To me, I have more bullets to fire and I’m excited to do that.”

Heyward has been one of the team’s heart-and-soul cogs along that defensive front since Pittsburgh drafted him No. 31 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft.

The six-time pro bowler and three-time All-Pro tallied 33 tackles–25 solo–with six tackles-for-loss and two sacks in 11 games last season. He suffered a groin injury in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers and wasn’t the same upon return. That came after back-to-back season of recording double-figure sacks and 14 tackles behind the line of scrimmage in 2021 and 2022.

Heyward is in the last year of his current four-year, $65 million deal, per Spotrac. He owns a $16 million base salary with a $22.4 million cap hit, the fourth-highest amongst defensive linemen in the NFL; he trails only Maxx Crosby ($30.5 million), Kenny Clark ($26.4 million) and Montez Sweat ($25.1 million).

Spearheaded by Heyward, All-Pro EDGE rusher T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick, the Steelers are expected to have one of the NFL’s top defenses once again in 2024. Will they perform up to expectation? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates.

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