Nick Herbig has yet to be a full-time starter in the NFL. Over his first three seasons, Herbig has played 45 games but started only 11 of them. Yet, the Steelers are giving him the opportunity to earn $103.8 million over the next five seasons.
And, he deserves every penny of the contract.
First, most people don't understand how NFL contracts work. They see $100 million and their eyes pop out of their heads the same way they do when an MLB or NHL player signs a new contract. However, NFL contracts are not fully guaranteed like in MLB or the NHL.
With Herbig's new contract extension, only $42 million of the $100 million is guaranteed. Including what he's owed from what remains on his rookie contract in 2026, that's a grand total of $45.8 million guaranteed over the next five seasons. For reference, T.J. Watt is guaranteed $42 million in each of the next two seasons. So, there's very little real money tied to Herbig right now. And because Omar Khan typically backloads long-term contracts, Watt will have already earned the $84 million he's guaranteed over the next two seasons by the time Herbig's cap hits begin to rise.
But, if you want to stick with the total dollar figure, or play the game of comparing average annual values, Odafe Oweh just signed a four-year, $96 million contract with the Commanders this offseason, just $1 million less per year than Herbig. And over the last three seasons, Oweh has totaled 22.5 sacks. Now, Herbig has only 16 sacks, but he's also played 941 fewer snaps than Oweh.
Oh, and Oweh is guaranteed $68 million of that $96 million.
Meanwhile, there's a strong argument that Herbig is the more disruptive player. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Oweh's 15.8% pressure rate in 2025 was higher than Herbig's 13.7%, but Herbig's 2.71 time to pressure (TTP) was better than Oweh's 3.10, and he recorded two more quick pressures (less than three seconds) while logging nearly the same number of pass rush snaps (Oweh: 329, Herbig: 328).
In addition, when Herbig is able to pin his ears back in a true pass rush set, Oweh doesn't even compare. According to Pro Football Focus, Herbig recorded a 12.6% pass rush percentage in true pass sets, ranking 13th among all edge rushers with at least 350 snaps. Oweh ranked 27th (10.5%).
So, if you're looking at the rest of the market, Herbig got paid in the expected range. If anything, the Steelers got a bit of a steal since so little of the contract is guaranteed. Again, Herbig's guaranteed over four years what Watt is guaranteed in 2026 alone.
As for how the Steelers will deploy the trio of Watt, Herbig and Alex Highsmith, that remains to be seen. That being said, Watt should probably be seeing a decrease in snaps, regardless of who else is on the team. Watt's coming off a season in which he averaged the second-most snaps per game in his career, the only season with a higher average coming during his age 25 season. Just to help him age better, Watt needs to play less often. That should open up some opportunity for Herbig to be on the field. Outside of that, well, that's why Mike McCarthy and Patrick Graham get paid the big bucks.
Either way, don't get caught up in the $100 million figure. At least, not yet. It's easy to do just because it's a nice, shiny figure to latch onto and spew narratives. Instead, understand that this is a contract that won't have any true financial impact for at least two seasons. And if it is paid in full, then it'll probably be money well spent because that'll mean at some point Herbig became a legitimate impact starter.
THE ASYLUM
How Herbig earned his $100 million extension
Nick Herbig has yet to be a full-time starter in the NFL. Over his first three seasons, Herbig has played 45 games but started only 11 of them. Yet, the Steelers are giving him the opportunity to earn $103.8 million over the next five seasons.
And, he deserves every penny of the contract.
First, most people don't understand how NFL contracts work. They see $100 million and their eyes pop out of their heads the same way they do when an MLB or NHL player signs a new contract. However, NFL contracts are not fully guaranteed like in MLB or the NHL.
With Herbig's new contract extension, only $42 million of the $100 million is guaranteed. Including what he's owed from what remains on his rookie contract in 2026, that's a grand total of $45.8 million guaranteed over the next five seasons. For reference, T.J. Watt is guaranteed $42 million in each of the next two seasons. So, there's very little real money tied to Herbig right now. And because Omar Khan typically backloads long-term contracts, Watt will have already earned the $84 million he's guaranteed over the next two seasons by the time Herbig's cap hits begin to rise.
But, if you want to stick with the total dollar figure, or play the game of comparing average annual values, Odafe Oweh just signed a four-year, $96 million contract with the Commanders this offseason, just $1 million less per year than Herbig. And over the last three seasons, Oweh has totaled 22.5 sacks. Now, Herbig has only 16 sacks, but he's also played 941 fewer snaps than Oweh.
Oh, and Oweh is guaranteed $68 million of that $96 million.
Meanwhile, there's a strong argument that Herbig is the more disruptive player. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Oweh's 15.8% pressure rate in 2025 was higher than Herbig's 13.7%, but Herbig's 2.71 time to pressure (TTP) was better than Oweh's 3.10, and he recorded two more quick pressures (less than three seconds) while logging nearly the same number of pass rush snaps (Oweh: 329, Herbig: 328).
In addition, when Herbig is able to pin his ears back in a true pass rush set, Oweh doesn't even compare. According to Pro Football Focus, Herbig recorded a 12.6% pass rush percentage in true pass sets, ranking 13th among all edge rushers with at least 350 snaps. Oweh ranked 27th (10.5%).
So, if you're looking at the rest of the market, Herbig got paid in the expected range. If anything, the Steelers got a bit of a steal since so little of the contract is guaranteed. Again, Herbig's guaranteed over four years what Watt is guaranteed in 2026 alone.
As for how the Steelers will deploy the trio of Watt, Herbig and Alex Highsmith, that remains to be seen. That being said, Watt should probably be seeing a decrease in snaps, regardless of who else is on the team. Watt's coming off a season in which he averaged the second-most snaps per game in his career, the only season with a higher average coming during his age 25 season. Just to help him age better, Watt needs to play less often. That should open up some opportunity for Herbig to be on the field. Outside of that, well, that's why Mike McCarthy and Patrick Graham get paid the big bucks.
Either way, don't get caught up in the $100 million figure. At least, not yet. It's easy to do just because it's a nice, shiny figure to latch onto and spew narratives. Instead, understand that this is a contract that won't have any true financial impact for at least two seasons. And if it is paid in full, then it'll probably be money well spent because that'll mean at some point Herbig became a legitimate impact starter.
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