Steelers Make Alex Highsmith 10th Highest Paid Edge Rusher

The Steelers agreed to a new 4-year, $68 million extension with Alex Highsmith on Wednesday, locking up the team’s long-term edge rusher duo for the foreseeable future.

But just how much did they pay him relative to his peers? Highsmith will crack the top 10 for highest paid edge rushers after the new contract. His $17 million per year average is 10th most in the NFL, tying guys like Shaquil Barrett and Chandler Jones in the market.

Now, Highsmith did not get as much guaranteed money as both of those players. Barrett and Jones both exceeded north of $30 million in guarantees while Highsmith got $27.7 million in that department. But still, that puts Highsmith among the league’s elite in terms of raw pay.

He is now making more than Emmanuel Ogbah, Trey Hendrickson, Danielle Hunter, Matt Judon, and others. Of course, T.J. Watt still tops the board for highest paid edge rusher in the league. The Steelers. in terms of per year value, will have north of $45 million allocated to the outside linebacker position. Somehow, that’s not the most expensive room in the league, with the Los Angeles Chargers having the most expensive edge rusher room.

Regardless, Pittsburgh now has its two outside linebackers for the future of the defense. With Kenny Pickett under a rookie contract, they can afford to pay contracts such as this one for the time being and do not have to make the tough uncomfortable decisions that may come up when you have to pay a quarterback.