Steelers Now
During an appearance on Cam Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast, Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig peeled back the curtain on the moment he found out that the Steelers were giving him a four-year, $100 million contract extension.
“I was in meetings, and we had a team meeting, and I walk out of position meetings and Matty upstairs was like ‘Omar [Khan] wants to see you.’
“I don’t know if it’s happening or what’s going on, and then my agent start[s] 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. [Art] Rooney [II], gave him five hugs, I was crying. It was great, awesome moment for me.”
Herbig, 24, has displayed exactly why he demanded such a payday over the past three years, racking up 79 tackles, 16 sacks, nine forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, three passes defensed and one interception all while working in a rotation with fellow outside linebackers Watt and Highsmith.
His production has also climbed each year. After recording three sacks as a rookie, Herbig posted 5.5 sacks in 2024 before setting a new career high with 7.5 sacks in 2025. He has not only become an important rotational contributor but has also positioned himself as a cornerstone of the franchise’s future at outside linebacker.
Steelers legend James Harrison thinks it was a great move by general manager Omar Khan to get Herbig signed long-term.
“Nah, that’s not a lot … So this right here is a great, great move,” Harrison said of Herbig’s contract extension on the latest episode of the Deebo & Joe podcast. “Great deal. Omar [Khan] is cooking, Mike McCarthy is cooking. And as he said in his quote, he said, ‘You can never have enough good players, especially in the outside linebacker position.’ They’re all playmakers. He said, ‘I’m thrilled to death we have them all.’ They are keeping them all.”
The Steelers also gave tight end Darnell Washington a contract extension last week. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and defensive lineman Keeanu Benton are next in line from the 2023 draft class to get extensions. Porter is expected is to cash in on a hefty payday.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Nick Herbig Opens Up on Moment He Found Out About Massive New Contract
