Steelers: Reason Emerges Alex Highsmith Missed Mandatory Practice

On Tuesday, Pittsburgh Steelers backup pass-rusher Nick Herbig signed a four-year, $100 million contract.

The extension was a win for Herbig and the Steelers, locking in the young defender after he recorded 7.5 sacks behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.

At $25 million per season, starting in 2027, Herbig is set to make $8 million per year more than Highsmith, currently on a four-year deal paying him $17 million per season through the 2027 campaign.

So it was no wonder the question needed to be asked if Highsmith missed Wednesday's mandatory practice due to questions about his contract.

Per Brook Pryor of ESPN, Steelers spokesperson Burt Lauten said Highsmith missed practice due to an (undisclosed) illness.

"Veteran pass rusher Alex Highsmith wasn't at the second day of the Steelers' mandatory minicamp," Pryor wrote. "It appears to be unrelated to fellow outside linebacker Nick Herbig agreeing to a $100 million, four-year extension the day before.

"Steelers spokesperson Burt Lauten said that Highsmith, who has two years left on an extension signed in 2023, missed practice because he was dealing with an illness. Highsmith and Herbig are two of the Steelers' three highly compensated pass rushers." 

It was smart for the Steelers to get ahead of this story, before it becomes a major storyline between mandatory minicamp and training camp next month. Still, there will be questions about Highsmith's future this summer regardless of the illness designation for Wednesday.

Pittsburgh appears ready to enter training camp with three starting-caliber pass-rushers. The Steelers would be wise to consider trading Highsmith or Watt, but that idea seems out of mind for general manager Omar Khan as the team goes all-in with Aaron Rodgers coming back for a final season.

Watt is happy with having Highsmith and Herbig on the defense.

"Oh, we're deep, obviously," Watt said on Wednesday, via the Steelers. "Not just our room, but the defensive front as a whole is really deep, and we really care about each other, too.

"That's the cool thing about this group, we're constantly trying to help each other out. We don't care who makes the plays, we just want to be as successful as we possibly can. We want to work together and just continue to grow. I'm just really happy with how things have started this summer."

With Herbig, Highsmith, and Watt, things could end well in the regular season, leading to another playoff appearance.