Ex-Steelers TE Connor Heyward Believes Raiders Truly Value His Worth

The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently navigating the craziness that is NFL free agency. General Manager Omar Khan and Owner Art Rooney II have attacked the 2025 offseason with the intention of staying competitive in 2026. The Steelers made a trade for a position of dire need by acquiring wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. Football is a business, and with that comes free-agent departures, along with additions. The Steelers also faced the possibility of losing some important players from the 2025 campaign. Unfortunately, the Steelers will have to move forward without those guys. 

One of the key players that the Steelers have lost is multi-positional talent Connor Heyward, who was vital on special teams and lined up at fullback, tight end, and as the runner during the Steelers' tush push play. Heyward wore many hats for the Black and Gold. 

He was known as a devout special teamer and teamed up with his brother Cam Heyward to administer the brotherly shove late in the season. Cam Heyward was definitely one of the reasons Connor was drafted to Pittsburgh, but Connor proved that he could play an important role with the team. 

However, Connor found himself leaving Pittsburgh in free agency to an old Steelers rival, the Las Vegas Raiders. He spoke to the media after his signing and took a direct shot at the Steelers organization. 

"He [Cam] was like, 'You know, hopefully the Steelers can come up with some money', but I was like, 'Cam, I don't think they will', and they didn't. Also, just when somebody shows you how much you could mean to an organization, like Coach [Kubiak] told me, I just couldn't turn it down, honestly," Connor Heyward said. 

Connor clearly felt as though his role was underutilized with the Steelers. He played a majority of snaps on special teams and was primarily used on offense on third and fourth downs. However, his role as a fullback never came to fruition with Pittsburgh under now-former Head Coach Mike Tomlin. 

The Steelers' tight end room is full of great players at the position, and Connor Heyward was unfit there as the competition was much better than him. He is undersized to be a true fullback, and Arthur Smith's offense didn't run a ton of plays with the position. So, this led to his role being on special teams. Connor Heyward believes that he is more than capable of being a more versatile player beyond special teams, and he found himself signing a contract with the Raiders.

Pittsburgh's offense is going in a different direction under its new head coach and staff, and Connor Heyward's role would've been small. The Steelers passed on paying him and will utilize the money at other positions of need. Fullback is a position that the Steelers may not value as much as other teams, as McCarthy's offenses have been known to be pass-first. This puts Connor Heyward at a disadvantage as he is not known for his pass-catching abilities. 

Steelers Have To Face Losing Vital Free Agents 

The Steelers have been aggressive in free agency so far, especially for a team that usually isn't. Pittsburgh has had to face other big names leaving, including Connor Heyward. Pittsburgh has found itself without its team MVP, Kenneth Gainwell, and has replaced him with Rico Dowdle; however, some positions have not come with a replacement like with former Pro Bowl left guard Isaac Seumalo. The Steelers have a huge problem on their offensive line due to his departure. 

The Steelers have had to face quite a few of their impact players leave thus far; thankfully, they have 12 draft picks in 2026 to address these needs. Pittsburgh will have to smartly utilize its stockpile of picks to ensure the roster can remain competitive in 2026. This includes filling in the gap at guard, finding young special team talent, and adding to the secondary. The draft should prove to be interesting in how the Steelers address these departures. 

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