PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Cam Heyward has no one to blame by himself for being in this situation. It’s not on the Steelers, it’s on the player.
Doug Whaley joined the Fan Morning Show for his weekly segment and explained as a person who has negotiated these deals, Steelers GM Omar Khan made a great deal for his bosses.
“Where I think it’s an abject failure is Cam Heyward and his team,” Whaley said.
Heyward explained Tuesday at training camp that he told Khan and those representing the team after signing the contract that when he becomes an All-Pro, meaning one of the top two defensive linemen in the NFL, he’s coming back for more money. Heyward said he knew he was taking a pay cut because of missing six games in 2023 due to injury. He thought the team reps were giggling at that and it provided more motivation for what he did at age 35 last year.
Whaley said that should have been in writing.
“If he walked out the door and said if I make All-Pro I’m going to see you next year,” Whaley told Adam Crowley and Dorin Dickerson. “No. No. No. You are at the bargaining table now. Put that in there now.”
“If you are the rep (for Heyward), you should know the salary cap is going to spike greater than in years past. You know people are going to get signed. You know who are free agents and they are going to sign deals. You can even put it in as an incentive, if he makes All-Pro, his salary goes up to ‘x’.”
That is what Whaley said agents get paid for, to make sure those details are handled. It should have been part of the contract extension, because Whaley agreed with Heyward that he did outplay his 2024 contract and by extension what he is being paid this season.
It was 15 years of goodwill with the fans that was smashed for this oversight, Whaley told the Fan Morning Show.
“If I’m the Steelers, I think it’s an easy fix,” Whaley said on 93.7 The Fan. “You move six million from next year and move it to this year and guarantee that other six for next year.”
That being said its putting not just Heyward, but the Steelers front office in a bad situation.
“It’s not how this decision affects this move, it’s how it’s going to affect the next move,” Whaley said.
What team management needs to do now is show they are somehow not setting a precedent, but taking care of true Steelers. They need to show they will take care of one of their Hall of Honor-type players, but make sure publicly it will be on their terms.
It will be challenging, because agents of other players looking for raises in the future will claim what they do with Heyward is setting a pattern.
This has created a firestorm publicly for Heyward right now. It’s creating future issues for Khan and the Steelers front office.