$100 million helps, but it was something much more innocuous that showed Nick Herbig how much the Steelers value him. Under a new regime, HC Mike McCarthy made him a priority despite the chaos of putting together a coaching staff and everything that such a change entails. Herbig wasn’t even around, but McCarthy wanted to get to know him.
“In Nick [Herbig] ‘s case, he’s been in constant communication with us. I had lunch with Nick in March out there in Scottsdale, so he’s done the things necessary, but he’s in a business situation”, McCarthy said yesterday, via the Steelers’ website. “You just separate that, and this is an important time in their lives. Their business decisions and business opportunities can change the course of their life and their family’s life. I don’t take that for granted”.
A fourth-year player, Nick Herbig has served an effective role as a rotational pass rusher. Going into a contract year, the Steelers awarded him with a four-year, $100 million extension. By some accounts, it’s the largest contract ever for a non-quarterback who isn’t an established starter in NFL history.
That’s a good way to show you care about somebody in the business world. But Nick Herbig isn’t just business, and neither is Mike McCarthy. That lunch meeting in March left an impression on him, and he talked about that yesterday. While his comments came before officially agreeing to the deal, one presumes sides were close.
“It was an awesome time”, Herbig said of his meeting with McCarthy. “Just the fact that he took the time out of his busy schedule to invite me to have lunch with him meant the world to me. He’s a Pittsburgh guy, so I’m just as excited for him as he is for me that he gets this opportunity to coach his hometown team and bring us to another Super Bowl”.
The Steelers already have two highly-paid pass rushers in T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. That is the only reason Nick Herbig wasn’t already a “starter”, even if he rejected the notion that he wasn’t a starter. The Steelers began introducing him with the starters last year already, and Mike McCarthy obviously has plans for him.
Still, paying three pass rushers top-30 salaries can be difficult to manage. If nothing else, it does raise the issue of how the Steelers will juggle the situation. Do they just move forward with Watt, Highsmith, and Herbig for as long as they can, or is there an exit strategy? Mike McCarthy and company put their vote behind Herbig, no matter what else happens.
And it’s hard to argue against that move, given his productivity. In three seasons across 1,216 snaps, Herbig has 16 sacks, 23 tackles for loss, 9 forced fumbles, and 1 interception. He is a playmaker, his playing time increasing each year. Thus far, the expanded workload has not resulted in diminishing returns. But even if they don’t view him as a 900-snap player, $25 million isn’t exactly bumping against the ceiling of the edge rusher pay scale.
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