Though the summer news seemed inevitable, Alex Highsmith earned a big payday Wednesday, inking a four-year extension worth $68 million. It’s another example of GM Omar Khan not waiting around for an eleventh hour deal, putting pen to paper ahead of training camp and ensuring the player is ready for Day One without any thought of a holdout or hold-in.
While there’s an obvious business element to it, the Highsmith extension is so much more. Football’s a game that revolves around scheme and technique. But ultimately, it’s a people business. And Highsmith is a man deserving of this type of deal.
For every player in the league, reaching the NFL means overcoming Mt. Everest odds. The top 1% of football players even cracking a 90-man roster, that in itself is a feat, and that includes the can’t-miss five-star recruits who seem destined to play on Sundays. For Highsmith, his path is even more improbable. He was a literal zero-star recruit out of high school with zero scholarships to any FBS schools, instead walking onto Charlotte’s campus.
There, he earned a scholarship, even if he was woefully out of position. For his first three seasons, he was used as a base 3-4 defensive end despite lacking the typical size or strength to hold down that role. It wasn’t until his final season his coaches shifted him to play stand-up outside linebacker. He flourished, busting out for 15 sacks in 2019. Highsmith parlayed that into becoming the Steelers’ third round pick of the 2020 draft.
He made an immediately positive impression behind T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree, rotating in behind both and seeing occasional snaps in the Steelers’ three outside linebacker specialty package. Once Dupree was lost to a torn ACL, Highsmith stepped in as the team’s starter and held his own.
His sophomore year saw improvement, kicking off with a fantastic training camp, getting stronger and finishing more plays. The numbers weren’t overwhelming and he was streaky, ending 2021 with six sacks that came across four games. Last year was the big one, becoming the Steelers’ top source of pass rush production while T.J. Watt was on the mend. All Highsmith did was rank sixth in the league with 14.5 sacks and tie the NFL’s lead with five forced fumbles while playing well-rounded and steady run defense.
Even with the looming contract, Highsmith came to work this spring, participating in OTAs and minicamp. I’ll never begrudge a player for reducing risk by sitting out but you have to appreciate a guy who showed up and – as Mike Tomlin would say – worked while he waited. With Wednesday’s deal, his wait is over.
Zero stars to generational wealth. It’s an incredible story. Expectations will be high on Highsmith and he has the full attention of every left tackle in football, who began to effectively counter him last season.
The idea some fans (and probably pundits) propose that Watt’s presence earned Highsmith his contract is silly. Of course, Watt lining up opposite any outside linebacker helps to some degree but Highsmith earned every cent of that deal. There were so many obstacles that could’ve, heck, should’ve tripped him up along the way. He persevered. He beat the odds. He made the plays. And he got paid.
Every contract is earned. None of that is given, there’s no charity, and each player puts in countless hours behind the scenes to meet the moment. But Highsmith has truly climbed every rung of the ladder, making it extra special when those guys get rewarded.
