Highsmith or Nick Herbig on the trade block?

Unfortunately, the solution to all the uncertainty you mentioned is to draft better. That is the root of all current Steeler problems. In the case of the Edge position, each of the top 3 players brings almost as many questions as answers.

Watt has $94M guaranteed the next three years. At 32 can he possibly return to making the kind of impact that the money calls for, and will he still be able to do it by the time the Steelers are contenders?

Highsmith is a good player, but not nearly as impactful as prime Watt. Much cheaper with a cap hit just over $20M each of the next two seasons, but has missed 10 games the last two seasons and often seems dinged up.

Herbig has performed well as the rotation guy, but as he enters the last year of his deal a choice has to be made. Let him start or let him walk. No history as a full-time starter (11 starts in 3 years) but has performed well in limited action. Will his slight build make it difficult to hold up through 17 starts? A raise will be in the works whether he stays or goes. He won't get Highsmith money without a breakout season in '26, but somewhere between Malik Harrison and Highsmith puts him in the $12-15M range over 4 years. If he shows he can physically hold up, especially with the help of good rotational depth, he'll outperform that contract.

 

No one should ever feel bad about insulting that a cowardly troll like Madden.

 

Maybe the game against the Vikings last year, but for the most part, he disappears when asked to start.

 

I knew this guy was a complete and utter moron after the '03 draft when he said Ike Taylor was the worst Steelers draft pick of all time on Post Gazette. Same thing occurred to me when some douchebag with a comb-over haircut went after Obama's birth certificate in 2011. Morons are very good at revealing themselves.

 

On the advice of a wise man I retract my guilt

 

Madden's approach has always been to seek out the take that will piss people off and either write or say that, whether he believes it or not, especially negative things about the Steelers. There is no credibility behind his words. He doesn't have inside knowledge. For years, he was notorious for attending Steelers games, but never going to the post-game interviews. It is easy to lob insults when he refuses to face the men he criticizes. I didn't choose to call him a cowardly troll lightly. He earned that criticism.

 

Problem is too many people listen to what others say instead of actually watching the game. Since coming on here I have recognized that many don't even know what they are looking at. For example TJ Watt can rush 4 times from the middle, and have 10 stunts in a game, a writer, Podcaster, youtuber, or whatever is a person's favorite source of information will say, I don't know why they don't run stunts with Watt, and then people will get on here, and say, we never run stunts with Watt. LoL. I can only shake my head, and think doesn't anyone watch the games, do they actually understand what they're seeing, or do they just go by what people tell them, and then I remember the 15% rule.

 

1) 93.7 is a local sports news station in Pittsburgh I would listen to during my long commute home. There was at least one idiot on the show who would say the dumbest things and I would wait that evening to see how long it took to be posted here.

2) I go to the home games and then come home and quickly go through the game day post. Sometimes I wonder if I watched the same game.

 

Maybe this explains it?

 

IF they are each as flawed as you say, then they are not tradeable for more than circus peanuts anyway and the entire discussion is moot.

 

Hey little guy what is your infatuation with clowns

 

Every player is flawed.

 

Anyone notice it doesn’t actually say that highsmith or herbig are on the trade block?

 

Is that what that punctuational squiggly Blue Oyster Cultish thing is at the end

The other thread about these same two was

 

If Herbig is top 5 in NFL
Trade value for 2027 QB
plus a 4-12-1 record
signed sealed
Git r dun

 

With Herbig, we're talking about a guy who's probably going to get paid 20m+ next contract. So is it better to potentially get a 2nd Rd pick in 2027 or a 3rd Rd comp in 2028? I just don't see a viable pathway in spending 80m+ for that position group. One of the 3 will probably be traded at some point this summer, or TJ or Highsmith will be traded next spring if we plan on resigning Herbig to a long-term deal.

 

Highsmith will be the easiest to move to a contender. Decent price tag still on him and he's a productive every down player. Herbig has flashed in spurts, but hasn't been relied upon as a full time starter yet (not saying he can't, just hasn't). I think the best thing to do would be to sign Herbig (youngest of the bunch) and then try to trade either Highsmith or Watt after the season. We're likely in the mode of drafting another edge rusher in the next year or two anyways to fill out the room, even if Sawyer progresses.

 

That's a solid plan as any. I'm not exactly sure Herbig is worth 20m+ or not, but Dave Bryant of Steelers Depot said he could get paid 25m or more in the open market. I'd probably trade TJ around the deadline or next spring and let Herbig walk, and build the position group around Highsmith and Sawyer. The group is immediately much younger/cheaper which frees up money for Frazier, Benton and JPJ, whom will be getting paid these next two summers. With Alex on the right side of 30, he's a guy i kinda don't want to move on from and he's young enough to be thrusted into a leadership role in a post Heyward era.