Pittsburgh Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith now ranks fourth on the team in terms of average annual salary, behind only All-Pro defensive teammates T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick and WR Diontae Johnson. DL Cameron Heyward isn’t far behind him.
It’s a lot of money to be paid, but assuming he had an even comparable season as 2022, chances are excellent he would have gotten an appreciably better deal on the open market in 2024 compared to his four-year, $68 million extension.
While we don’t have the full details of the deal yet, it’s expected to be structured like a typical Steelers contract with no guarantees beyond the first season, something Highsmith certainly would have gotten virtually anywhere else.