Shaka Heyward

Shaka Heyward (born April 19, 2000) is an American professional football linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Duke Blue Devils.

Early life Heyward was born on April 19, 2000. He comes from an athletic family: his cousins, Cameron and Connor Heyward, both play in the NFL, Cameron for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Connor for the Las Vegas Raiders, while another cousin, Corey, played college basketball, another, Craig Jr., played college football for Middle Tennessee, and Craig Jr.'s father Craig Heyward also played in the NFL. He attended Mill Creek High School in Georgia where he played football as a linebacker. In his last two seasons, he totaled 168 tackles. That year, he received the Vincent Rey Award for best Duke linebacker and the Sonny Falcone Award, "given annually to offensive, defensive, and developmental members for their year-round commitment to strength and conditioning." He received the Vincent Rey Award for a second time and also won an award for playing the most snaps for Duke that year.

After going unselected in the 2023 NFL draft, Heyward signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent. He was waived on August 29, 2023, then re-signed to the practice squad the following day. He signed a reserve/future contract with Cincinnati after the season on January 8, 2024. He was waived again on August 27, then re-signed to the practice squad the following day. He was elevated to the active roster for the team's Week 11 game against the Los Angeles Chargers and made his NFL debut in the game, appearing on 24 special teams snaps. He was signed to the active roster on December 2.

Heyward began the 2025 season as one of Cincinnati's reserve linebackers, logging 10 combined tackles over eight appearances. In Week 8 against the New York Jets, Heyward suffered a hairline fracture in his fibula, necessitating an injured reserve placement on October 28, 2025. He was activated on December 12, ahead of the team's Week 15 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.

Heyward signed a one-year contract extension with Cincinnati on January 5, 2026.

On August 30, 2026, Heyward was waived by the Bengals as part of final roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.