A hundred million dollars for a backup? Pittsburgh’s $100 million extension for Nick Herbig may seem like an overpay, but not when stacked up against the ever-inflating market dynamics of the NFL. Mike Florio actually praised them for the timing of the deal since his asking price was only going to increase as time passed.
“The Steelers do deserve credit for getting ahead of this with Herbig,” Florio said Thursday via Pro Football Talk on YouTube. “A lot of times we see new deals get done right before the start of the regular season. The sooner you do it, the cheaper it is. I don’t know that Herbig would have gotten to Week 1 and suddenly decided he wanted $35 [million] instead of $25 [million]. But it is wise and prudent to do it now.
“It sends a clear message to your locker room. You come in here and do what we want you to do, we’re gonna take care of you. We’re not gonna make you wait.”
Pittsburgh was criticized for the perception of waiting too long to get the T.J. Watt deal done last year. They watched Maxx Crosby and Myles Garrett each reset the market before making Watt the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. His $41 million APY has since been shattered by Aidan Hutchinson ($45 million), Micah Parsons ($46.5 million), and Will Anderson Jr. ($50 million).
As the top of the market is quickly pushed upwards, the going rate for a starting pass rusher inflates with it. Jaelan Phillips, Jonathan Greenard, and Travon Walker all signed similar or larger deals than Herbig despite not one of them topping his 2025 production. Even Boye Mafe, who has just eight sacks over the last two years, got a $20 million APY contract this offseason.
You would be hard-pressed to find a player more efficient on a per-snap basis than Herbig. In 1,216 career defensive snaps, he has an absurd 16 sacks, nine forced fumbles, 23 TFL, 85 pressures, an INT, and a defensive TD.
If he stacks another career-best season in 2026, his market value could skyrocket into the $30 million range pretty easily. The projected franchise tag value is roughly $28.5 million next year, for reference.
The bet isn’t completely without risk. Nick Herbig has only logged 60 percent or more of the total defensive snaps in 12 of his 45 regular season games played. He’s also missed six games over the last two seasons with hamstring injuries.
He’s undeniably great off the bench and in a rotational role, but how will he hold up over the course of a full 17-game season of starting snaps? It’s impossible to say until we see it.
If the answer is anything close to his 900-snap split (roughly one starting season), Pittsburgh made the business move of a lifetime by landing a star player at a premier position for the next five seasons. That’s good business.
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