Steelers Insider Believes Pittsburgh Can Cap Off Unlikely Offseason With Two More Extensions

The Pittsburgh Steelers went into the offseason with a big task of retaining a handful of their young stars. The organization had a big group of players that were deserving of a big contract and somehow, they figured out a way to get most of them signed, with more reportedly on the way. Getting all of these players signed to big contracts is something that not everyone believed they could do, but the front office has been aggressive.

In the last week, the Steelers worked out contracts to young stars Nick Herbig and Darnell Washington. Those deals came with some controversy as Herbig is still considered a backup behind TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith (two already expensive players). Now Herbig is in that room with a nine-figure contract. For Washington, many consider him just a sixth offensive lineman that can only block in certain formations. While blocking is a big strength of his, he emerged as a big option in the passing game last season as well, prior to his arm injury late in the season.

There's two more players that the Steelers hope to extend at this point. First off is defensive lineman Keeanu Benton, the young defender that had a few standout games in 2025. His next contract will likely be the smallest out of this class, but he has certainly earned a contract extension in the eyes of many fans. The headliner however, of course is Joey Porter Jr. His price tag could be very high, with some talks exceeding $30 million, but Steelers insider Mark Kaboly gave his thoughts on his podcast, Kaboly + Mack explaining using a French term, why he suggests there could be a deal already complete.

"I wasn’t believing that they were going to be able to sign him [Benton]," Kaboly stated on his show. "I don’t think they believed they were going to be able to sign them all [Herbig, Boswell, Washington, Porter, Benton]. I think now there’s a good chance Benton gets locked up and of course Porter, my favorite word now fait accompli."

From the Meriam-Webster dictionary, fait accompli means "a thing accomplished and presumably irreversible." So if Kaboly is describing Porter with that phrase, there could be a deal there. Out of all the numbers thrown around, we can expect this deal to probably be around the $25 million to $28 million area. Porter Jr. wants to be paid as the elite player he thinks of himself and as most fans do. He's one of the best cornerbacks in the league and wants his salary to represent that.

An already expensive defense is about to get bigger contracts, but rightfully so. These players have emerged as stars on defense and it's great that Pittsburgh is trying to keep them long-term. Hopefully these are on the team-friendly side of things, but they could also be in favor of the players. 

Steelers Looking to Build Long-Term Chemistry

Getting all of these players locked up is huge for the organization. It keeps the chemistry up with these players working together for years. Now they just need to keep improving so this payday is more valuable in the future. 

The Steelers are looking to win their first playoff game in nearly a decade and with these players finally getting paid, they might be able to build a unit that can win for more than just this season.

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