Although the Steelers agreed to a new 4-year, $68 million extension with Alex Highsmith on Wednesday, securing the team’s long-term leading pairing for the foreseeable future.
But how much did he get paid compared to his peers? The new contract will put Highsmith in the top 10 highest-paid running backs. His $17 million per year average is the 10th highest in the NFL, matching Shaquille Barrett and Chandler Jones on the market.
Now, Highsmith didn’t get as much guaranteed money as any of those players. Both Barrett and Jones crossed over $30 million in guarantees, while Highsmith received $27.7 million in that department. But still, it puts Highsmith among the league’s elite in terms of gross salary.
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However, he now earns more than Emmanuel Ogbah, Trey Hendrickson, Danielle Hunter, Matt Judon, and others. Of course, T.J. Watt still leads the table in terms of being the highest-paid leading rusher in the league. The Steelers. In value-per-year terms, more than $45 million would be allocated for the outside linebacker position. In a way, not the most expensive room in the league, the Los Angeles Chargers have the most expensive room for front running backs.
Regardless, for the future of the defense, Pittsburgh now has two outside linebackers. With Kenny Pickett under a rookie deal, they can afford deals like this for a while and don’t have to make the tough, uncomfortable decisions that can come with paying a quarterback.