PITTSBURGH (AP) — Nick Herbig wants to be a Pittsburgh Steeler for life.
The outside linebacker is well on his way after agreeing to a new four-year deal on Tuesday that will keep him in Pittsburgh for the rest of the decade, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not yet been made public.
Herbig, a fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin in 2023 whose
sack total has ticked up in each of his three seasons, was entering the final year of his rookie contract. He skipped some — but not all — portions of practice during Tuesday's mandatory minicamp in an effort to protect his body while his agent and the Steelers ironed out the details.
“I mean business is business,” Herbig said a few hours before the new deal was finalized. “You know, I’m a football player. I’m here for football. I try to keep business separated from football as much as I can.”
The agreement is worth up to $100 million, heady territory for a player thought to be a little too small (6-foot-2, 240 pounds) to thrive in the NFL after winning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2022.
Herbig essentially attached himself to perennial Pro Bowl edge rusher (and fellow Wisconsin alum) T.J. Watt after arriving in Pittsburgh, and the student has wasted little time emulating his mentor.
Herbig had 3 1/2 sacks as a rookie in 2023, 5 1/2 in 2024 before a breakout season in 2025, when he had 7 1/2 sacks (one-half more than Watt), forced three fumbles, picked off a pass and pounced on a loose ball in the end zone against Chicago in November for the first touchdown of his career.
First-year Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy met with Herbig in Arizona in March. While McCarthy understood the “business opportunity" Herbig was facing, he also praised Herbig for doing the necessary offseason work and being in constant communication with the club throughout the process.
“It’s great to have Nick here,” McCarthy said. “Nick’s excited about being here.”
The signing means the Steelers have devoted a significant chunk of their salary cap to outside linebackers. Watt is scheduled to have a cap hit of $42 million this season, with Alex Highsmith's set at just over $20 million. Herbig was scheduled to make $3.8 million this year before the big payday.
Pittsburgh doesn't view putting that much money into one position group as a luxury but a necessity. When all three are healthy — hardly a given considering each missed time in 2025 — the Steelers believe they have as deep and effective an edge rushing group as there is in the league.
Asked if he considers himself a starter considering Watt and Highsmith have been entrenched at the position for the better part of a decade, Herbig shrugged.
“I'm a Steelers, you know,” he said. “There’s no starters and backups. It’s ‘I’m a Steeler.’”
Locking up Herbig means Pittsburgh general manager Omar Khan could move on to getting something done with cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
Like Herbig, Porter is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Like Herbig, Porter has excelled during his relatively brief time in the NFL. Like Herbig, Porter wants to be in Pittsburgh for a long time and, like Herbig, he bypassed a handful of Tuesday's practice segments as a precaution.
“I want to be out there,” Porter said. “Everybody knows I want to be out there. So I’m just doing everything I can and taking it day by day.”
At the moment, “everything" for Porter doesn't mean quite everything. He skipped the 11-on-11 offense vs. defense portion of drills, though he participated in walkthroughs and some individual exercises. Porter did not consider skipping minicamp an option, feeling it was important to be around the new coaching staff as Pittsburgh prepares for its first season under McCarthy following Mike Tomlin's somewhat surprising resignation after 19 years leading the Steelers.
“I really just want to show him and just even the new coaching staff that I’m down for it," he said. “I’m here for the new process, the new change. And that was really the main reason why I went to his introduction, the main reasons why I’m still here.”
Porter, the first pick of the second round in the 2023 draft, blossomed into one of the better cornerbacks in the league last season. The son of four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Joey Porter Sr. hasn't allowed a passing touchdown since his rookie season. His combination of size (6-foot-2) and football intelligence have allowed him to take on more responsibility with each passing year.
Asked if he believes he's at the point in his evolution where he considers himself one of the best shutdown corners in the NFL and if it's important for him to be compensated as such, Porter nodded.
To be among the highest-paid players at his position, any new deal for Porter would need to average somewhere in the mid-$20 million range. The Pittsburgh native seems confident it will happen.
“I feel like I was an elite guy since I’ve been in this league,” he said. “And I’m happy that I’m getting the respect that I feel I (am) owed.”
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