Steelers defensive star ranked among worst contracts in the NFL

Despite all the work the new Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff has put into the offense, the team is still on track to have the most expensive defense in the NFL in 2026. This is due in large part to a massive investment in the outside linebacker position. The Steelers gave backup edge defender Nick Herbig a four-year, $100 million contract this offseason despite never putting in a full season as a starter.

But Herbig’s deal isn’t the contract from Pittsburgh that made the list as one of the 10 worst in the NFL. NO, that honor goes to T.J. Watt, who is currently playing on a three-year, $125 million contract with $108 million of that guaranteed. The Steelers signed Watt to his massive contract coming off of a season where he had only seven sacks and looked like a shell of the player who had double-digit sacks in seven of the eight previous seasons.

Now, the Steelers have committed $83 million in salary cap to those three players for 2027 and unless new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham finds a way to get Watt back on track, this will continue to look like one of the worst contract decisions the Steelers front office has ever made.

This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers defensive star ranked among worst contracts in the NFL