With the Aaron Rodgers-Justin Fields storyline, DK Metcalf’s debut, the reconfigured secondary, and just the fact that it’s the 2025 season opener, the Pittsburgh Steelers really didn’t need another subplot to make the Week 1 contest in New York interesting.

Enter Cameron Heyward’s Rubik’s Cube of a contract dispute. It’s a hold-in that no one knew had begun, and no one currently knows if it has finished.

Heyward didn’t participate in team drills throughout training camp. However, he started practicing at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex last week, only to offer “We’ll see” on his podcast Tuesday when asked if he will for sure be playing Sunday against the Jets.

Cam Heyward on his Not Just Football podcast says "we'll see" when asked if he's going to play vs the Jets. What's your reaction? pic.twitter.com/YcFtZ94T11

— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) September 2, 2025

Yet Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin seemed sure that Heyward would participate and wouldn’t even need any snap restrictions.

“I’m certainly expecting Cam to play,” Tomlin insisted. “Cam doesn’t play a lot in team development over the last several years. My job is to get him in and out of Latrobe, and I’ve done my job. There are no reservations about his participation or readiness.”

The problem is, Heyward has stated it’s “hard” for him to “justify” playing on his current contract. So, to solve this matter, either the Steelers are breaking form and giving Heyward a new contract after he just got one, or Heyward is going to have to “justify” his actions once he puts a helmet on.

Another thing he has to justify is dragging out this public drama about “To play, or not to play” in the wake of criticizing Rodgers for taking a long time to decide if he was going to sign in Pittsburgh or not this past spring.

Remember his “Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or you don’t,” speech back in March?

Everything is a contradiction, wrapped in paradox and dipped in a juxtaposition.

And it is served with a hint of hypocrisy as well, especially since Heyward is having a hard time “justifying” suiting up under a contract that has already paid him a $13 million bonus this year.

Further complicating matters is the fact that rookie Derrick Harmon is injured. The Steelers will definitely need help along the defensive line if neither player is going to be on the field for the first few weeks until this matter is resolved and until Harmon is healthy.

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The Steelers’ actions infer they have no long-term depth concerns there, as they have spent the last few days throwing money at running back Jaylen Warren, and are reportedly signing linebacker Jon Rhattigan instead of bolstering the defensive line.

If Heyward should no-show, that’d be one heck of a heel turn as it would leave the team high and dry along the defensive front against the ground-oriented Jets rush attack.

The general feeling around the Steelers facility on Tuesday seemed to be that Heyward will probably suit up and play with or without an adjusted contract because of how damaging a public relations blow it’d be for him to skip games after he’s been paid such a significant signing bonus already.

But if that’s the end result, what has Heyward been doing all this for in the first place? For the pats on the back when he finally does walk on the field Sunday?

For the patently transparent, magnanimous press conference where he says he’s playing and leaving it all on the line for his team, even though he’s not getting a raise just so he can position himself as the noble, self-effacing team captain?

To hear the pleading of the fans all week to “Please show up! We can’t win without you, Cam?”

Because, at this point, I’m not even sure Heyward is going to get that. Public sentiment doesn’t seem to be on his side this time around.

Given where we are on the calendar, Heyward should drop the contract debate and play. The time for negotiating and posturing is over. If he was going to take a real stand — a hard stand — he should’ve taken one already. This half-in, half-out routine has worn thin, if it ever had any teeth in the first place.

At this point, Heyward is either just creating an unnecessary distraction by threatening to withhold playing time, or he is really going to screw the team by doing so. Either way, he’s not going to look good in the process.

I’m just sick of waiting to find out which one it’s going to be.

As a wise man once said, Cam, “Do you want to be a Steeler or not?” It’s a little late in the game for “We’ll see.”

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