Age: 26
Free Agency: 2027 (RFA)
Accrued Seasons: 2
- Height: 6'3"
- Weight: 235
- College: Duke
- Entry: 2023 Undrafted Free Agent (Bengals)
- 2026 Salary Cap Charge: $1,095,000 (0.35% of cap)
- 2026 Cash Payout: $1,095,000 (0.37% of spending)
- 2026 Cash to Cap Ratio: 1.00
- Contract Value: $1,095,000 ($1,095,000 APY)
- Fully Guaranteed Money: $0
- Contract Ranking: 123/187 at LB
Current Contract
(ERFA, signed 2026)
(📝: indicates contract trigger occuring during that year)| Year | Age | Base Salary | Workout Bonus | Cap Number | Cap % | Dead Money & Cap Savings | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26 | $1,075,000 | $20,000 | $1,095,000 | 0.3% | ||||
| Total | $1,075,000 | $20,000 | $1,095,000 | ||||||
Contract Notes
Shaka Heyward signed a three year contract worth $2,725,000 with the Bengals on May 12, 2023. The contract has $30,000 in guarantees. He received a signing bonus worth $30,000
Cash Flows
| 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Cash Due | $1,095,000 |
| Running Cash | $1,095,000 |
Career Earnings: $1,472,667
Career APY: $490,889
Contract History
| Team | Contract Type | Status | Year Signed | Yrs | Total | APY | Guarantees | Amount Earned | % Earned | Effective APY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | UDFA | Terminated | 2023 | 3 | $2,725,000 | $908,333 | $30,000 | $0 | 0.0% | $0 |
| Bengals | Practice | Expired | 2023 | 1 | $216,000 | $216,000 | $0 | $216,000 | 100.0% | $216,000 |
| Bengals | SFA | Terminated | 2024 | 1 | $795,000 | $795,000 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | $0 |
| Bengals | Practice | Elevated | 2024 | 1 | $225,000 | $225,000 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | $0 |
| Bengals | Practice | Renegotiated | 2024 | 1 | $256,667 | $256,667 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | $0 |
| Bengals | SFA | Expired | 2024 | 2 | $1,755,000 | $877,500 | $0 | $1,032,500 | 58.8% | $516,250 |
| Bengals | ERFA | Active | 2026 | 1 | $1,095,000 | $1,095,000 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | $0 |
Earnings By Team
| Team | Yrs | Salary | APY | Paid on Cap | % Paid on Cap | Paid as Dead Money | % Paid as Dead Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | 3 | $1,472,667 | $490,889 | $1,248,500 | 0.0% | $224,167 | 0.0% |
Season History
Statistics
| Year | Games Played | Games Inactive | Snaps | Tackles | Negative Plays | Interceptions | Fumbles | TD | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defense | Special | Solo | Assist | Sacks | Yards | TFL | QB Hits | Pass Def. | INT | Yards | Forced | Rec. | Yards | ||||
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | 1.1% | 20.4% | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 12 | 0 | 3.3% | 43.4% | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Valuation Diamond
The diamond is a scatterplot graph that visualizes the relation of the player's APY (in green) and performance (in blue, as measured by OTC's Valuations) to the rest of the league at his position. To understand how to read the diamond, read this explainer.
| OTC Valuation | APY | |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | $654,000 | $1,095,000 |
| Injury Adjusted | $654,000 | $1,095,000 |
Weekly Valuation Trends
The chart below illustrates the trend of the player's weekly OTC Valuations (in blue) from the most recent season, using APY (in green) and, if applicable, cash that is due to the player in the next season (in red) as benchmarks. Weeks not plotted indicate that the player was inactive or on a bye.
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