They say good things come to those who wait, but for the Pittsburgh Steelers and ascending star pass rusher Nick Herbig, that wait didn’t last for very long. Shortly after Herbig skipped practices today for mandatory minicamp, the team signed Herbig to a four-year deal with $42 million guaranteed and worth up to $100 million.

Herbig had told reporters that he wanted to remain “a Steeler for life” in a media scrum following practice, and head coach Mike McCarthy spoke about Herbig doing the right things during this process.

Now we see why there was seemingly so much confidence between the player and coach that a deal would get done. The deal should keep Herbig in Pittsburgh through the 2030 season.

With Herbig’s deal done, attention now turns towards re-signing other key members of the 2023 draft class, such as Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton, and Darnell Washington.

It remains to be seen what the Steelers long-term plans for fellow pass rushers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are. Both pass rushers remain productive, but are likely nearing the end of their primes. Watt is signed through 2028 and Highsmith through 2027. While I wouldn’t expect either to play anywhere other than Pittsburgh in 2026, their Steelers future beyond this season has to be in question, given their cap figures.

But I’d wager the Steelers believe this is one of those good problems to have.

Had Herbig reached free agency, he was expected to sign a deal worth well over $20 million AAV. He had career highs in sacks (7.5 ), pressures (47), and snaps (610) in 2025.