Cam Heyward is not just the longest-tenured player on the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he is also the longest-tenured player with any team in the league. He was drafted by the Steelers with the second-last pick of the first round in 2011, and he has become their most important leader over his 14 years with the team. However, that also means he just turned 36 years old.
Advertisement
During the 2023 season, it seemed as though Father Time had caught up with him. He missed six games with a groin injury and managed a career-low 2.0 sacks in the 11 games he did play. His peers noticed it too, dropping him from No. 45 on the Top 100 Players of 2023 (as voted by the players) to No. 98 in 2024.
However, Heyward took the criticism and internalized it, using it to push him back to another elite season in 2024 at the age of 35. He had 8.0 sacks and 12 TFLs as he earned his fourth First-Team All-Pro nod, and his first since 2021. For that, the players bumped the dominant DT back a little ways up the list for 2025. Heyward was announced at No. 83 on the Top 100 Players of 2025 list on Thursday.
NFL Top 100 Players of 2025:@Steelers DL Cam Heyward lands at No. 83! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/Mv3QNGNva3
— NFL (@NFL) July 10, 2025
The No. 83 ranking is a positive jump of 15 spots from last year for Cam Heyward. Going back through the years, he has generally been in the 40-55 range. He first entered the fray in 2018 at No. 48, moved way down to No. 88 in 2019, up to No. 84 in 2020, then way up to No. 57 in 2021 after his third First-Team All-Pro. He rested in the 40 range in 2022 and 2023 (42 and 45) before his big drop last year.
Despite the positive movement for Heyward up the ladder, Steelers fans are not satisfied. And perhaps rightly so. A guy who is a First-Team All-Pro is the best player at his position, which means he should really be at least top 25.
“83 is laughable. But so was Creed Humphrey’s rank as well,” one exasperated fan said. “Was expecting higher, honestly,” said another. “83? What a f**king disrespect. Dude was 1st team all pro and the best interior run and pass defender. Put some respect on his name,” said a frustrated third.
One fan tried to chirp Heyward by saying, “This is generous in 2025,” only to be bombarded by 25 replies by angry Steelers fans. The tweet only got five likes.
Heyward is 36, so it is pretty crazy that he is even on the list if you think about it. But he is still playing at an elite level, so he clearly deserves it, and if 2024 was any indication, he is not as near to retirement as some may have thought in 2023.
He recently signed a two-year, $29 million deal with Pittsburgh that runs through the season in which he turns 37. If he remains on this list through that contract, it would be impressive indeed. Perhaps enough to get him Canton consideration.
