Omar Khan has been a busy man this offseason. He was active in free agency and the draft, improving the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster. While June is usually quiet when it comes to NFL news, Khan is still making moves, signing players to contract extensions. That includes Nick Herbig, who earned a big payday despite being a backup. Herbig earned that money, but Albert Breer thinks it could also result in Alex Highsmith wanting his deal altered.
“Does it mean he’s back at the table looking for a correction to his deal?” Breer asked Wednesday on Sports Illustrated’s YouTube channel. “His deal is at about $17 million per [year].
“He can very easily make the argument here, ‘I need to be paid more, as a starting player, than Nick Herbig, who is being played as a guy who is a rotational guy…’ Certainly, I think the Herbig contract will have some sort of effect on how Alex Highsmith approaches things from a business perspective.”
Herbig is set to earn around $20 million per year under his new deal. Meanwhile, Highsmith only has two years left on his contract, which pays him around $14 million per year. It was a fair offer when he signed it, but now that the edge rusher market has boomed, he could feel like he’s underpaid.
However, it’s unlikely that the Steelers will give address his contract this year. He could negotiate a raise if he seeks his own extension next offseason. Getting anything done before that feels like a long shot, though. It’s just not the way that the Steelers usually do business.
For what it’s worth, Highsmith hasn’t created a fuss over Herbig’s contract yet. He actually went out of his way to congratulate his teammate on his payday. While he missed practice the day after Herbig got his extension, that was reportedly due to an illness.
Highsmith might not make demands of the Steelers this offseason. He could simply let his play in 2026 speak for itself and give him more leverage next offseason. He led the team in sacks last year with 9.5, despite missing several games due to injury.
Highsmith is a solid player, and there’s a good argument to make that he deserves a raise. However, Herbig is younger, and there’s a chance that he could be more productive than Highsmith if he gets more opportunities. If Highsmith wants to make more than Herbig, then the Steelers could consider moving on from him. At some point, they’re going to run out of money to give to players.
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