They came to Pittsburgh around the same time — one as a free agent and one as a fourth-round draft pick a month later. They spent just one season together in the Steel City, but with former offensive lineman Nate Herbig calling it a career Tuesday, retiring from the NFL, younger brother and current Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig knows he wouldn’t be in the situation he’s in without him.
Speaking with reporters Wednesday following the first padded practice of training camp in Latrobe, Herbig gave a shoutout to his older brother, crediting him with creating the path for him and other younger players like him from Hawaii.
“I want to give a shoutout to him, especially. Because he’s the GOAT. I wouldn’t be here without him, for real,” Herbig said of his older brother, according to video via Pittsburgh’s DSEN on YouTube. “I’m blessed to have somebody like that in my life that paved the way for me and paved the way for so many kids in life.
“I’m super honored to be his brother.”
Nate Herbig hung up the cleats Tuesday, ending a five-year career in the NFL. He spent three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles coming out of Stanford and then two seasons with Pittsburgh. He signed a contract with the Washington Commanders in free agency this offseason, but early in training camp, the veteran swing interior offensive lineman called it quits.
When Nick Herbig says he wouldn’t be in the situation he’s in without his brother, there’s some truth to that. After signing with the Steelers as a free agent, Nate Herbig spoke highly of his brother in his introductory press conference, calling his younger brother an “absolute stud” and adding that the Steelers needed to go and get his brother.
The Steelers love bloodlines, and they ultimately dipped into the Herbig one, selecting Nick in the fourth round out of Wisconsin in the 2023 NFL Draft, uniting the brothers in the Steel City. Those first few months were quite the storyline as the brothers took the city and the fanbase by storm and had some great moments.
After playing sparingly as a reserve in 2023, Nate Herbig was in pole position as the starting center entering the 2024 season. Still, a torn rotator cuff in training camp ended his season before it started. With Zach Frazier grabbing hold of the starting center job and even Ryan McCollum emerging last season as a solid backup, the Steelers let Nate Herbig walk in free agency.
He seemed to land on his feet with Washington, but a little over a week into training camp, he was placed on the Reserve/Retired list. Heck of a career for the island native who went to Stanford and carved out an NFL career as an undrafted player.
