Chris Boswell became the first Pittsburgh Steelers veteran to cash in this offseason. Nick Herbig may not be far behind. While Joey Porter Jr. is widely viewed as the organization’s top long-term extension priority, Herbig sits close behind him on Pittsburgh’s wish list. But getting a deal done may not be as straightforward as the Steelers would hope.
“Porter should be next up, but they really want to extend Herbig because of the age and salaries of the other two guys,” Gerry Dulac wrote in his weekly Pittsburgh Post-Gazette chat. “That, though, will be up to Herbig. Does he accept a new deal or wait for free agency, where he would probably get a bigger deal? And how much do you offer a backup when you’re already paying big money to the two guys in front of him? Sounds like good trade possibilities to me.”
Trade speculation aside, Pittsburgh has to try to find the sweet spot of enough money to make Herbig and his agent amenable to a long-term deal but not too much as to have a disproportionate amount of money tied up in one position.
T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are already on $41 million and $17 million APY contracts, respectively. Over the Cap projects Herbig to be worth about $16 million APY at the moment.
It’s usually not a good idea to have nearly 25 percent of the total $301 million salary cap tied up in one position. Even quarterbacks don’t quite reach that lofty benchmark. Unless Aaron Rodgers asks for a substantial raise, the Steelers barely have any money tied up at quarterback. They can afford to overspend elsewhere, but not by that much. That may be the price to pay if they want to keep Herbig long term.
From Herbig’s perspective, he would be signing up for at least one more season of backup work behind Highsmith and Watt. Both are technically under contract in 2027 as well, though a lot can change when you start looking more than a year out.
For instance, Pittsburgh could opt to trade one of its star pass rushers to make way for Herbig and the future of the position.
If Pittsburgh lets Herbig walk, it risks creating a future hole at one of the most important positions on its defense. Watt is turning 32 in October and Highsmith 30 in August. Herbig, on the other hand, is just 24.
Given his impressive statistics and efficiency with limited snaps, Herbig has no reason to take a discount to stay in Pittsburgh. The Steelers have to put forth serious money to keep him if they “really want” to extend him, as Dulac suggests.
But will they?
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