Every team in the league still has some type of unfinished business or another before entering training camp. In reality, the work toward a championship off the field never stops until the season is over—and then the process starts again for next year.
In terms of roster construction, however, the Pittsburgh Steelers have done a rather commendable job so far. There are still areas that one would like to see them address—better options at slot cornerback and backup center, for example—but on the whole, they’ve covered a lot of their bases.
That leaves an extension as their one last offseason move they must contend with, according to ESPN’s Field Yates, who put together an Insider article yesterday highlighting each team’s biggest item left on their agenda. As you likely guessed, that extension is for fourth-year outside linebacker Alex Highsmith:
T.J. Watt has established himself as one of the best players in the league, but let’s not overlook Highsmith’s impact in that linebacker room, too. He wreaks havoc opposite Watt. A career year in 2022 (14.5 sacks) for Highsmith was a great way to lead into his first extension-eligible offseason, and Pittsburgh has a lengthy track record of drafting, developing and extending its own. Pegging the price for Highsmith is a little tricky — this offseason has been dominated by defensive tackle extensions, not edge rusher extensions — but I would think something in the $15-16 million per year range is a reasonable target.
That’s pretty much the ballpark figure we’ve been tossing around for the better part of a year now, so it wouldn’t at all be surprising to see the eventual number fall in that range. And I do think that a deal will get done, the biggest question being whether it happens early in training camp (or even before) or if it drags out somewhat.
It figures to come down to Highsmith himself and, fundamentally, what he thinks he’s worth, as well as what he thinks he might be worth in the near future—and if he can be worth more elsewhere. He put up Pro Bowl-caliber numbers last year, but he can still improve his market.
Highsmith plays in the shadow of Watt, many believing that his effectiveness comes from having the best in the business on the other side of him. That certainly doesn’t hurt his production, but it likely hurts his bottom dollar.
So the question is, how much time does he want to give himself if he believes he can command a salary near the top of the market if he were somewhere else? Would he sign a shorter-term deal with the hope that he can hit the open market in a few years with enough left in the tank to cash in?
The fourth-year veteran will only turn 26 in August, so even if he signs a three-year extension, he’ll still be entering his age-30 season by the time he would be eligible to hit the open market and would be signing the deal at 29.
