What the Extension of a 24-Year-Old Edge Rusher Means for the Steelers in 2026 and Beyond
On Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026, the Pittsburgh Steelers and outside linebacker Nick Herbig reached an agreement on a four-year, $100 million contract extension. The deal keeps the young Wisconsin edge rusher in the Steel City through the 2030 season, and with only $42 million in guaranteed money, the contract is extremely backloaded. While Herbig is coming off of his best season yet, recording 30 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 18 QB hits, seven and a half sacks, four forced fumbles, one interception, and even a fumble recovery touchdown, it’s unusual to see a rotational player get such a large contract extension. Sitting behind superstars T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, the 2023 fourth-round pick has only started 11 out of 45 games played for the Steelers over his three seasons in the NFL. Despite this lack of playing time, he has made the most of his opportunities. When compared to other edge rushers with similar contracts and with his own teammates, he holds a higher impact play rate. Watt and Highsmith, along with Jaelen Phillips, Brian Burns, and Travon Walker, all have similar contracts to Herbig and play more snaps. Yet, the young edge rushers' 0.043 impact play rate stands above everyone else's, including Watt, who is a former Defensive Player of the Year.
Taking his impact play rate into consideration, the six-foot-two outside linebacker’s contract looks like a great deal. Constantly undervalued and still young, Pittsburgh made the right call to lock him up before the end of his rookie contract. However, Steelers fans now have to wonder if this paves the way for a potential trade of Watt or Highsmith. The Steelers have heavily invested in their outside linebacking corps, paying three separate players more than $15 million per season. This does not necessarily mean that one has to be traded, at least not yet. Most of Herbig’s contract won’t affect the Steelers' salary cap until 2027, and even if his entire signing bonus is the $42 million in guaranteed money, his cap hit would only be $10 million in 2026. If the Steelers then extend Highsmith again after his contract expires in 2027, the biggest impact on the salary cap will come in 2028, the last year of Watt’s contract. Questions about the 2021 DPOY's future in the Steel City have come and gone all off-season, but with him being 33 by the time his contract expires, Pittsburgh may decide to move on from one of the best to ever do it.
The Steelers’ defensive scheme, along with their new defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham, now have to figure out how to get all three superstars the playing time they deserve. When coming into the league, many NFL draft analysts believed that Herbig would have to make the switch to inside linebacker due to his size, but the six-foot-two, 240-pound linebacker proved them wrong in a big way. However, that’s not to say that the former Wisconsin Badger can’t play inside. The Steelers, especially in recent years, aren’t scared to use defensive packages that feature three outside linebackers, and with 26-year-old middle linebacker Payton Wilson not living up to expectations in his first two seasons, Herbig could also slide in for him on obvious run downs. Similar to the Philadelphia Eagles and Brandon Graham, the Steelers will likely reduce Watt's snap count as he gets older, paving the way for more field time for Herbig. The freshly extended edge rusher commented on this, saying, “I wouldn’t call myself not a starter. I’m a team guy. If you need me to play off the ball, on the ball, need me to run down on punt, I’m a Steeler. There are no starters and backups. I’m a Steeler.” Herbig is here to stay in Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future, and with a career that’s just gotten better every season, getting his contract done this early may prove game-changing for Pittsburgh. The 24-year-old reportedly wants “to be a Steeler for life,” and this is a great start to that desire.
