Alex Highsmith’s ‘walk-on mentality’ helped him earn $68 million extension

PITTSBURGH — Standing within the doorway of the media room on the UPMC Rooney Sports activities Complicated, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin grinned and nodded as linebacker Alex Highsmith detailed his journey to the four-year, $68 million extension he signed every week in the past.

Now one of many top-10 highest paid edge rushers, Highsmith is the newest instance of the long-standing Steelers’ draft-and-develop technique. He embodies the blue-collar angle of Tomlin and the group.

“The walk-on mentality is one thing that is going to stay with me endlessly,” Highsmith stated Monday. “Simply being again in school and getting there in 2015 with no gives, zero stars, and never even going to camp my freshman yr … I simply wished to outwork everyone and be the very best that I may. I nonetheless carry that mindset with me right now, as a result of I do know there’s at all times folks which can be going to work to be higher than you.”

Chosen within the third spherical of the 2020 draft, Highsmith had a breakout season in 2022 with 14.5 sacks — virtually double his first two seasons mixed — and proved to be a complementary piece to 2021 Defensive Participant of the 12 months T.J. Watt.

“He is an elite Robin,” Tomlin stated throughout obligatory minicamp. “You already know, as we are saying, we wish to problem him in that approach. He is rising. He is making a reputation for himself on this factor. He seeks perfection. His maturation has been one which we anticipate and anticipate to be fairly trustworthy with you. We put high quality folks on this program,they usually work inside, they usually simply merely get higher, and their tape does as properly and he is an instance of that.”

In signing Highsmith, the Steelers proceed to take a position premium {dollars} of their protection, bucking a league-wide development of spending huge cash on offensive weapons. Division-mates Baltimore,

Cleveland and Cincinnati all rank within the top-10 in offensive spending with a minimum of $121 million allotted to that aspect of the ball, whereas the Steelers are twenty first with $105 million going to the offense, per Over the Cap.

After main the league in defensive spending with a payroll of $109.9 million a yr in the past, the Steelers are fourth this season behind the Chargers, Payments and Seahawks with a protection that checks in at $120.3 million, per Over the Cap. And with Watt on the books for $29 million, the group is third in edge rusher spending for the 2023 season.

The cash, although, provides the Steelers sought-after stability able that’s skilled turnover. Whereas the Steelers have a protracted custom of elite outdoors linebacker play, they haven’t entered a season with two starters taking part in on a minimum of their second contracts since 2014 when Lamar Woodley and Jason Worilds had been the group’s beginning outdoors linebackers.

“The fellows that now we have on protection, I feel we’re among the finest — if not the very best — … within the league,” Highsmith stated, requested concerning the stress that comes with the excessive price ticket. “And I feel after we performed to that capacity — I feel final yr we began taking part in a few of our greatest ball in the direction of the tip of the yr. Everybody was wholesome. — so I really suppose we could be one among not the very best items within the league, and so we simply acquired to follow like that. It begins this Wednesday at Latrobe.”

Now, each Watt and Highsmith are underneath contract for a number of seasons with Watt scheduled to hit free company in 2026 and Highsmith in 2028. The Steelers additionally inked one other outdoors linebacker in Markus Golden throughout free company, giving the place the type of high quality depth it’s lacked since Bud Dupree was on the roster with Watt and Highsmith in 2020.

“The previous couple years, having the ability to play alongside T.J., I really feel like we have continued to get higher collectively and proceed to develop extra cohesiveness,” Highsmith stated. “Being with him has simply been superior as a result of I proceed to be taught from him. I proceed to choose his mind about stuff, about dashing the passer and stuff like that, so it has been cool, actually growing chemistry with him. I look ahead to the havoc that we will trigger this yr.”