Pittsburgh Steelers OLB Nick Herbig only had to hold-in for one day at mandatory minicamp before signing a four-year contract worth up to $100 million. Herbig was leaving a team meeting when he found out that his agent had worked out a new deal, and on Cam Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast, he revealed his emotions in that moment and how it all went down.
“I was in meetings, and we had a team meeting and I walk out of position meetings and Matty upstairs was like ‘Omar wants to see you.’
“I don’t know if it’s happening or what’s going on, and then my agent start calling me. And then at that point, the light bulb kind of went off,” Herbig said. “Go to Omar’s office, gave him a big hug, he told me it is done, we signed it. Saw Mr. Rooney, gave him about five hugs, I was crying. It was a great, awesome moment for me.”
Khan has worked quickly to extend players during his time as Pittsburgh’s general manager. While negotiations with T.J. Watt dragged into July last season, there’s been much more urgency to get players signed before training camp since he took over. After signing Herbig last week, the Steelers also got a new deal done with TE Darnell Washington.
It’s not a surprise the Steelers prioritized and locked up Herbig. While he’s yet to become a full-time starter, he’s an impactful player and the Steelers value getting to the passer. Herbig keeps their core at outside linebacker intact and gives the Steelers flexibility for the future, with Herbig just 24 years old.
Herbig’s story is an interesting peek behind the curtain as to how the contract process usually goes down. It seems that Herbig had little idea that his agent was that close to the finish line on a new contract until he was told to see Khan. He was focused on his work for the day while the front office was actively negotiating his new deal, and he only found out after it was done.
It may not be how all contracts go down, but usually a player isn’t very involved when it comes to directly negotiating a contract with a team. Older veterans might be more involved, but for young players who haven’t experienced it before, an agent can handle basically the entire process.
It was a moment of elation for Herbig when he found out, and now he can reward the Steelers with more than a few hugs as the defense looks to get back to being a premier unit in 2026.
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