The Pittsburgh Steelers have a habit of identifying pass rushers in the middle rounds of the NFL Draft and turning them into stars. Nick Herbig is the latest example, and now the team is paying him like one.
The Steelers and Herbig agreed to a four-year, $100 million extension with $42 million in guaranteed money this week, multiple outlets reported. The deal averages $25 million per year, which is solid market value for an ascending edge rusher who has not yet hit his peak.
Herbig was a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, taken 132nd overall out of Wisconsin. The Steelers stashed him as a developmental piece behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. He played sparingly as a rookie. He grew into a rotational role in his second season. Last year, he became a full-time starter and posted a career-high 7.5 sacks despite not playing every snap.
The Steelers have always been the place where pass rushers get developed properly. From Joey Porter to LaMarr Woodley to James Harrison to Watt, the franchise has a track record of finding guys with raw athleticism and turning them into Pro Bowl edge defenders. Herbig fits that lineage and is now being paid like he is the next one.
The $42 million guaranteed is the most important number in the deal. That is real protection for Herbig and it is also a manageable amount for the Steelers if things do not work out by year three. The structure of the contract gives Pittsburgh outs in years three and four if Herbig’s production tapers off or if a younger player on the roster ends up being a better fit.
What Herbig does well is win with quickness and bend. He has a smaller frame than most edge rushers, but he is very good at dipping his shoulder around tackles and finishing through to the quarterback. He is not yet an elite run defender, which is the next part of his development. If he can become a three-down player, the $25 million per year is a steal.
The bigger picture for the Steelers is that they now have three pass rushers locked up long-term. Watt is the franchise centerpiece. Highsmith got paid two years ago. Herbig is now locked in through 2030. That is unusual depth at one of the most important positions in football, and it should keep Pittsburgh’s defensive front near the top of the league for the next half-decade.
This also reflects a broader strategy from the Steelers front office. Pittsburgh has shifted from spending big on offensive skill positions to investing heavily in the defensive front. The Aaron Rodgers signing last year was the splash on offense, but the team’s identity is still going to be built around getting after the quarterback. Herbig is a key piece of that identity now.
The Bengals lost the AFC North to the Steelers last year in part because Pittsburgh’s pass rush wrecked Joe Burrow in critical moments. The Ravens have struggled to find consistent pass rush help for Roquan Smith. The Browns are dealing with a complete defensive rebuild now that Myles Garrett has been traded. Pittsburgh has positioned itself to dominate the division on the defensive line for the next few years.
Herbig is going to need to make the leap into double-digit sack territory for this contract to look like the kind of value the Steelers signed it as. Eight to nine sacks per year is fine. Eleven to thirteen would justify the extension. Anything more makes Pittsburgh look like geniuses for getting this done before the price went up.
Pittsburgh has done this before. They will probably do it again. The Herbig extension is just the latest chapter.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
