Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — As far as hold-ins go, Nick Herbig might have the record for the shortest duration.
Herbig reported to Pittsburgh Steelers minicamp on Tuesday, his first foray into the team’s offseason program after politely declining to take part in any of the voluntary portion.
He did not practice with his teammates, instead watching C.J. Ah You put the outside linebackers through drills, wearing a hat and holding his helmet.
Hours later, he had a new deal.
In terms of the contract, it’s a pretty straightforward one. Herbig gets $100 million over four years in a backloaded contract that has only $42 million guaranteed.
In some ways, it’s a bet on him continuing the strong trajectory that he’s started his career with, and if Herbig is able to continue to grow in his role with the Steelers (more on that in a bit), then the contract will look like quite a bargain by the end of it.
Even if Herbig never advances beyond being a part-time pass rusher, the contract is well within line of his current performance. Over the last three seasons, Herbig has 16 sacks, and has played 645 snaps.
Here are some comparable contracts to Herbig’s $25 million average annual value:
Jaelen Phillips: 1,320 snaps, 8 sacks, $30 million AAV
Odafe Oweh: 1,586 snaps, 22.5 sacks, $24 million AAV
Boye Mafe: 1,977 snaps 17 sacks, $20 million AAV
Herbig is also three years younger than those players.
It’s pretty clearly a good deal for the Steelers and a great one if Herbig gets better — a reasonable suspicion.
With Herbig under contract, the Steelers are now paying three edge rushers north of $15 million per season.
T.J. Watt has an average annual value of $41 million on his contract that runs through 2028, and he has guaranteed salary through the end of the 2027 season. Alex Highsmith has a $17 million average annual value on his deal that runs through the end of the 2027 season, though he does not have any further guarantees at this point.
Despite the significant investment in one position, the Steelers did not sign Herbig with the intention of trading one of the others, a team source relayed to Steelers Now. The plan is for the team to be able to keep all three, and the salary cap details are what make that possible.
Though Herbig signed his contract extension on Tuesday, most of the big money from his new deal won’t hit the Steelers’ salary cap until 2027. While the full details of Herbig’s contract have not been revealed yet, his 2026 layout will likely just be one-fifth of his signing bonus and a minimal salary. Even if the signing bonus is all of the $42 million in guaranteed money — it probably isn’t — Herbig’s cap hit for 2026 will be under $10 million.
Herbig’s deal will also be backloaded with non-guaranteed money, so his salary in years two and...
