Steelers' Dilemma Sparks Trade Rumors As Nick Herbig Has Desire To Be Treated As A Starter: "No More Pitch Counts"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in the headlines a ton throughout the organization's search for a new head coach, and the team finally landed on Mike McCarthy. This will be his third time being a head coach in the league, and his experience and offensive style of thinking should provide some optimism for fans, although the hire was panned by most of the fan base online. He is going to have some critical decisions to make during his first season on the job. The quarterback position is obviously a problem, while there are also some defensive personnel issues that must be addressed.

One area to watch for the Steelers is outside linebacker. The room is stacked and productive, but Pittsburgh has to consider getting younger at the position while moving one of the more lucrative contracts on the roster that belongs to either Alex Highsmith or TJ Watt. They are the two starters, while Nick Herbig has been extremely productive given limited opportunities. Trade rumors regarding Herbig were sparked on Tuesday after a Dallas Cowboys beat writer suggested a trade that would send Herbig and the 21st overall pick to Dallas for the 12th pick.

The idea of the Steelers trading Herbig is absurd to many fans, but former Pittsburgh defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko reached out to the young outside linebacker and shared their conversation in a post on X.

"Just talked with Nick he doesn’t care about the trade smoke," Fehoko wrote. "He’s ready to just be viewed and treated as a full-time starter whether it’s in Pittsburgh or elsewhere. Pitt needs to decide what they wanna do with that edge room. Nick Herbig is a starter, no more pitch counts."

While these words weren't written by Herbig, it seems fair to think that he does agree. He and Fehoko were teammates in Pittsburgh and they are both from Hawaii, so the two probably grew close during their time together. Herbig seems to be done with the limited opportunities, and he wants to start.

Herbig had the best season of his career in 2025 as he recorded 7.5 sacks and forced three fumbles. He did that while working with limited snaps as mentioned, so it is not hard to imagine what his production might be like with a full season as a starter. It would be difficult to start him over either Highsmith or Watt, which is why fans are probably pushing for one of them to be traded. Both players are good, but if Pittsburgh wants to get younger at the position, it might be smart to move on from one of them and reallocate some of that money towards an extension for Herbig. That is easier said than done, as Watt's contract is not really tradable. 

Herbig reportedly told Fehoko that he wants to be a starter either in Pittsburgh or somewhere else in the league, which means it is time for the franchise to make a critical decision about the future of the defense.

Steelers' Nick Herbig Is Due An Extension

Herbig just finished his third season in the league, which means he is now eligible to be extended. He is going to want to be paid starter money even though he hasn't gotten a ton of opportunities. He has proved he can produce, and he wants to be paid like it.

This entire situation with the outside linebackers has the potential to get messy. Pittsburgh needs to find a way to keep all parties involved happy, and that might come by trading someone like Highsmith. Trading Watt sounds nice, but he is a one-helmet player and that contract is not likely movable due to its value.

What do you think about the situation? Let us know in the comments below!

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