The last big piece of business for the Pittsburgh Steelers front office ahead of the start of the 2023 season is to get star outside linebacker Alex Highsmith signed to a contract extension. Highsmith is coming off of a career year where he finished with 14.5 sacks.
Spotrac, one of the two big sites for NFL salary cap information put out their market estimation for Highsmith’s new contract he hopes to get soon and as always we have thoughts.
The total value according to Spotrac for Highsmith on a four-year contract is $55,636,188. That breaks down to $13,909,047 per season. No estimation of what the guaranteed money would be but we know the Steelers are somewhat conservative when it comes to massive guarantees.
Looking at the numbers and comparing them to the contracts some other edge rushers have gotten recently, this feels like a low number for Highsmith. If the Steelers can land him for under $14 million per season now, it will be a bargain because the sky really is the limit for him as a pass rusher.
Contrary to popular belief, the bulk of Highsmith’s sacks came when T.J. Watt was healthy and not on IR. This is no dig at Highsmith, more an indication of just how special Watt is as a player.
Pittsburgh cannot afford have Highsmith have another big season and price himself right out of their range. Our best guess on where the Steelers Highsmith and the Steelers land is a four-year contract somewhere in the $15-$16 million range.
