There hasn’t been much chatter around Cam Heyward potentially hanging up his cleats. Most of the focus has been elsewhere, largely centered on Aaron Rodgers, while others have assumed Heyward would at least play out the rest of his contract. That’s where Spotrac enters the conversation.

Following Pittsburgh’s 30–6 Wild Card loss to the Houston Texans, Spotrac released its financial breakdown, and Heyward stood out, too. The veteran defensive lineman logged over 70% of the defensive snaps in 2025, a clear sign the Steelers still lean heavily on him. That usage matters when you start evaluating what comes next.

Heyward is scheduled to make $14.25 million in 2026, which, given his workload, isn’t viewed as bad value. But context matters. After another strong season and considering last year’s contract standoff, the same questions are back. Per Spotrac, it’s fair to ask: Does Heyward push for another adjustment, or does retirement enter the picture?

The timeline forces clarity. A $12.95 million roster bonus is due on March 12, meaning Pittsburgh won’t be able to kick the can down the road. The team would probably like to avoid a repeat of last offseason. After finishing the 2024 season at a Pro Bowl level (71 tackles and 8.0 sacks), Heyward requested a restructure despite having just signed a three-year, $45 million extension.

That led to a hold-in during camp, with Heyward sidelined from practices as negotiations dragged on. Eventually, just before the regular-season opener, both sides agreed to a revised deal that added $3.2 million in incentives. Fast forward a year, and the situation has come full circle again.

Heyward closed out the 2025 season with 78 combined tackles and 3.5 sacks across 17 games. Solid production. But paired with that looming roster bonus, the decision is unavoidable. As Spotrac frames it, it likely comes down to one of two paths: another push for more money or seriously considering retirement.

That uncertainty showed up late in the season. After Pittsburgh’s regular-season win over the Baltimore Ravens, Heyward delivered an emotional speech to rally his teammates. His brother, Connor Heyward, later reflected on it in a conversation with Mark Kaboly.

“His speech touched everybody,” Connor said. “When I was hearing the speech, I was thinking, I don’t want this to be the last one. I am not saying he’s going to retire, but he’s older, and the reality is that you don’t know how many more of these he’s going to get. Not this year, but I am glad that we have one more.”

That moment can be read two ways: either a veteran contemplating the end, or a captain doing what he’s always done. Either way, it all circles back to the same number: $12.95 million, due in March. Once that decision is made, Heyward’s future will come into focus, after a season that, under Mike Tomlin, went down in the record books for all the wrong reasons.

Mike Tomlin tied for the most consecutive playoff losses record

Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season, and that record still stands. But once the calendar flips to January, especially over the past decade, the picture gets far less flattering. Tomlin hasn’t won a playoff game in nearly ten years, and the Steelers’ 30–6 loss to the Texans on Monday night only added to that trend, while also creating an unwanted milestone.

With that loss, Tomlin is now tied for the most consecutive playoff defeats by a head coach in NFL history. He joins former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, with seven straight postseason losses. No coach has lost more in a row, largely because most organizations don’t allow it to reach that point.

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Before this season, Tomlin shared the second-longest streak with Marty Schottenheimer, Steve Owen, and Jim Mora. Context matters here: Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game since its conference championship loss in 2016. And Monday’s defeat only sharpened the criticism.

The game unraveled quickly. The Steelers were down just 7–6 at halftime, but never scored again. Meanwhile, Houston’s defense delivered two touchdowns on its own, turning a competitive game into a blowout. That’s why the conversation around Tomlin’s future has flared up again. Whether he’s back on the sideline in 2026 is now very much an open question.