Steelers give star LB new $100 million contract

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Nick Herbig. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Steelers give star LB new $100 million contract

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Jun 2, 2026 6:01 PM ET

The Pittsburgh Steelers are spending big ahead of the 2026 NFL season.

On Tuesday, the Steelers agreed to a massive four-year, $100 million contract with linebacker Nick Herbig. The new deal includes $42 million guaranteed, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Herbig was a fourth-round pick by the Steelers in the 2023 NFL Draft, and he is coming off a career-best season with 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception.

It’s quite the statement for the Steelers, who gave star pass-rusher TJ Watt a three-year, $123 million extension in July 2025 and have now invested another $100 million in the LB room.

Herbig is thought to be the first non-quarterback to surpass $100 million without starting an entire NFL season in his career.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 2, 2026

Herbig has started just 11 games in his three-year career, so the new contract might suggest that Alex Highsmith gets moved at some point in the near future, which was something rumored earlier in the offseason.

Herbig was a hold-in at camp in hopes of landing a new deal, and not even four hours before the new contract surfaced, he said he wanted to be a “Steeler for life.”

Nick Herbig less than three hours ago: “It’s my desire to be a Steeler for life.” https://t.co/EySFccL2Q2 pic.twitter.com/747FoWCQgs
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) June 2, 2026