Steelers News
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Omar Khan speak at a press conference at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex before the NFL Draft on Sunday, April 19, 2026 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Taylor Ollason / Pittsburgh Steelers)
While some fans and analyst are skeptical of the Pittsburgh Steelers giving Nick Herbig a four-year, $100 million deal, Steelers legend James Harrison thinks it was a great move by general manager Omar Khan.
“Nah, that’s not a lot … So this right here is a great, great move,” Harrison said of Herbig’s contract extension on the latest episode of the Deebo & Joe podcast. “Great deal. Omar [Khan] is cooking, Mike McCarthy is cooking. And as he said in his quote, he said, ‘You can never have enough good players, especially in the outside linebacker position.’ They’re all playmakers. He said, ‘I’m thrilled to death we have them all.’ They are keeping them all.”
The Steelers have three elite edge rushers in Herbig, T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. All three have received hefty paydays, too.
“I think the most important thing is, when you look at the business side of this, you pay players that obviously you feel deserve it,” McCarthy said Wednesday at the second minicamp practice. “So, you can never have enough good football players, especially at the outside linebacker or the linebacker position. They’re all playmakers.
“So I am thrilled to death that we have them all.”
McCarthy believes he has one of the best edge rusher trios in the NFL.
“It’s a premier position in the National Football League, and we feel we have one of the premier groups,” McCarthy said.
“You gotta find ways to play everybody. This is not an 11-man operation. both on offense, defense — and special teams. We want everybody to play. I talk on it all the time about roster improvement and flexibility. You have to be able to play four downs at most positions.”
Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy and his staff have been planning on innovative schemes involving Herbig for months.
“You don’t draw up schemes as the season gets going. These are things we’ve been working on since January,” McCarthy said. “We’re excited to get Nick done. He’s part of some of the newer things we’re doing moving forward.”
Harrison sees a changing of the guard with McCarthy and new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. He thinks they’re getting back to Steelers football.
“Now you have your brand-new d-coordinator in Patrick Graham, and he has everybody there. It’s all hands-on deck. Now we get to see what the Pittsburgh Steelers defense is supposed to look like,” Harrison said. “What we’re accustomed to seeing, bro. Like sitting on top of the NFL, being the most feared defense in the NFL, where when you see those three stars on your schedule and your head coach say, ‘Ah, two chinstraps for this game, it’s going to be a blood bath.’ It’s gonna be a physical disciplined defense that you gonna face all year.
“And no matter what the outcome is, win, lose, or draw, when you done with this game, you’re gonna feel that you play the Pittsburgh Steelers. Get the cold tubs, get ready to heal all the knots and bruises and lumps and bruises that we gonna put on your ass after this game is over.”
Alan Saunders and Brenden Howe provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
Mentioned In This Article: James Harrison Nick Herbig Omar Khan Pittsburgh Steelers Steelers Steelers News
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