Steelers star threatens to sit out games if does not get his way

What’s been an eventful offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers continues to provide drama. Now, star defensive tackle Cam Heyward is looking for a contract that better reflects the dominant season he had in 2024, and has been practicing in a limited capacity during training camp as a result.

Now, Heyward is making it clear he’s willing to take things a step further if he feels that’s what it will take to get the job done. Per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, Heyward strongly insinuated that missing games as a part of a contract holdout is something he’s willing to do.

“There are definitely options out there that could reflect that,” Heyward said.

“My goal is to be out here, and I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he added. “I’ve had to be honest with myself to be ready for every option. And has it gone the way I wanted to go? No. If it did, I would be out there playing and practicing, but I’d like to put this in the rearview mirror and worry about ball and worry about [the] New York Jets [in] Week 1.”

Heyward is insisting that he knows his worth as a player, even at his advanced age relative to the rest of the league.

“I’m looking to be valued,” Heyward said. “… I know what I bring to this team and what I’m capable of on and off the field, so it’s hard for me, after the year I’ve had, to really justify playing at the number I’m playing at.

“I understand. I signed a contract last year, but to be completely honest with you, when I signed that, I told him when I have an All-Pro year expecting me to come back and you can look at the contract and see what it was. But I think everybody kind of giggled a little bit, but in my head, I used it as motivation to go out there and prove it.”

It’ll be interesting to see if the sides can work something out before the regular season arrives.