Jon Gruden Shares Hilarious Story About Steelers' Cam Heyward

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward has wreaked havoc against opposing offensive lines for a long time.

During an interview with Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith, Jon Gruden told a story from his second stint as the Las Vegas Raiders' head coach in 2021 when, despite earning a victory, offensive guard John Simpson was reeling from his performance against Heyward.

“We won the game, we’re all excited. We come into the locker room, and I see John Simpson sitting at his locker. He’s unhappy,” Gruden said. “I go, ‘What the hell’s the matter with you? He goes, ‘I got the living s*** beat out of me.’ So when I was watching the game on the plane, some of this stuff Heyward did, the guy’s got power. He’s got real power that people don’t understand. It’s football f***ing power. He’s like a forklift in there.”

Even when you beat the Steelers, you lose!

Cam Heyward has REAL power, man. pic.twitter.com/pBnjxQoheb
— Jon Gruden (@BarstoolGruden) March 6, 2026

Heyward's Illustrious Career

A first-round pick out of Ohio State in the 2011 NFL Draft, Heyward is one of the best defensive linemen of his generation.

Over 228 games in Pittsburgh, the 36-year-old has recorded 796 tackles, 92 sacks (second-most in franchise history) and nine forced fumbles. Along the way, Heyward has earned seven Pro Bowl and four All-Pro nods while also winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2023.

Nov 2, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) reacts as he takes the field against the Indianapolis Colts at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Will Heyward Return to the Steelers in 2026?

After being named a first-team All-Pro in 2024 with 71 tackles and eight sacks, Heyward took a slight step back statistically this past season with 3.5 quarterback takedowns and 78 tackles. Even so, he was still a second-team All-Pro.

Heyward has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $19.150 million. He "held in" during training camp last summer while renegotiating the two-year, $29 million extension he signed ahead of the 2024 campaign, and the Steelers eventually made good with him by adding a little over $3 million in potential incentives ahead of Week 1.

There's more uncertainty surrounding Heyward's short-term future this offseason than there was at this time last year, which is due in part to him being another year older as well as the fact that Pittsburgh has a new coaching staff in place after Mike Tomlin stepped down.

Shortly after the Steelers were eliminated from the playoffs, which was followed by Tomlin's departure, Heyward stated on his "Not Just Football" podcast that he was going to take his time before making a decision on the next steps in his career.

"I'm laying low right now. I've been told don't make any emotional decisions," Heyward said. "I'm just shutting up and just letting the process take care of itself. I just need to breathe a little bit. It's been a long season, and we'll see. This isn't something I'm going to rush, but I'll be ready either way."

The current belief is that Heyward will run it back in Pittsburgh next season, but with another potential contract dispute on the way while questions about retirement remaining relevant, there's still a lot up in the air for the franchise legend.

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