The Pittsburgh Steelers believe that they have one of their pass-rush tandems in their history on the roster right now. They have paid up accordingly. After making perennial Pro Bowl OLB T.J. Watt at the time the highest-paid defender in NFL history in 2021, they also ponied up yesterday to reward his partner, Alex Highsmith, signing him to a four-year, $68 million extension.
That’s not quite in the same territory financially, though it does place Highsmith just inside the top 10 at the position in new-money average at $17 million (tied with Chandler Jones and Shaquille Barrett). Nevertheless, it represents a substantial investment we haven’t seen the team make since James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley—a very different approach from the early era of free agency.