The Pittsburgh Steelers have plenty of interesting contract situations in-house to deal with now that free agent frenzy and the draft have officially concluded. They have to deal with Joey Porter Jr. demanding to be paid like a top-flight cornerback while they have to figure out if other players like Darnell Washington should be given second contracts early in their career. They also have Nick Herbig, who definitely deserves to be extended, but is stuck as a backup in a very stacked edge rusher group full of massive contracts.
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Steelers edge rusher Nick Herbig raises his arms in the air while the team works out during a 2025 training camp practice at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
While making an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, insider Ray Fittipaldo mentioned that practice will show exactly how the Steelers will feel about Herbig, and he explained how that would work.
"I think you’ll get a pretty good indication during training camp of how they’re using Nick Herbig and whether he’s a part of their long-term plans, because if there’s a way that Patrick Graham can get him on the field for more than the standard 20 reps of a top backup, then I think you can afford to sign him," Fittipaldo said. "Maybe they can be creative, find a way to get him 60-70% of the snaps and just deploy him all over the defense."
The only time that Herbig gets used as much as he deserves is when one of the two starters suffers an unfortunate injury. When he does get that opportunity, he makes the most of it. He played 60% of defensive snaps across the 15 games he appeared in, which included six starts. He had 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one interception, and 13 tackles for loss. Those are pretty good numbers for a third-string outside linebacker.
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Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher Nick Herbig sacks Carson Wentz in Week 4 matchup in 2025.
The argument for not paying Herbig is very simple: the Steelers are already paying a lot of money to TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith. Watt was once the highest-paid non-quarterback for a short period of time as well. It doesn't make sense for a team to have three edge rushers making a ton of money, especially for a team that seemingly develops players at that position on an assembly line.
Because of that, trade rumors have been swirling around all three players. Maybe the Steelers can keep all three around for 2026, but after that, one of them will have to go. Maybe the coaching staff is not enamored with Herbig and just lets him play out his contract. Watt did have his struggles in 2025, so if the new coaching staff can't revive his career, he could be shipped off sooner rather than later.
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Outside linebackers Nick Herbig (left) and TJ Watt (right) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Of course, the Steelers have a whole new coaching staff, which includes a defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach. It will take time for them to assess this unique position group and figure out who the odd man out would be. Herbig's weakness is that he struggles to set the edge during run plays, so that could be enough for this new staff to be unwilling to sign him to a long-term deal.
Steelers May Have Already Begun Negotiations
A report has claimed that the Steelers have already started talking to Herbig about a possible extension, but that has not been confirmed or denied just yet. If they have started, they may be trying to sign him to a DeShon Elliott-type deal: a low amount of money, but most of it coming via guarantees. This would give him time to impress the staff and prove himself while keeping Watt and Highsmith around.
What do you think about the uncertain future for Herbig? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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