The Pittsburgh Steelers have been fielding trade inquiries about Alex Highsmith for more than a year, and apparently nothing has changed as the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline approaches.
Pittsburgh has kept the 29-year-old outside linebacker despite investing heavily in other pass rushers. With the Steelers sitting at 5-2 and chasing a playoff run behind Aaron Rodgers, another NFL insider has offered new details about how the team has handled calls for one of its defensive starters.
Steelers Have Rejected Alex Highsmith Trade Inquiries
In his Oct. 31 trade deadline notebook, The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero reported that other teams have been trying to acquire Highsmith since at least 2025, without success.
“Other teams have inquired about trading for Highsmith since last year, and the Steelers’ answer has always been no,” Pelissero wrote.
That answer hasn’t stopped other teams from considering the veteran, and Pelissero expects more calls as the deadline gets closer.
Pittsburgh has plenty of talent at the position. T.J. Watt has a team-leading 5.5 sacks, while Highsmith has three and Nick Herbig has two. Second-year linebacker Jack Sawyer also competes for snaps in a crowded rotation.
Highsmith, a third-round pick in 2020, has 48 career sacks. He set a personal best with 14.5 in 2022 and added 9.5 last season, production that helps explain why other teams would be interested in acquiring him.
Pelissero pointed to that depth as the reason another team might keep calling. The Steelers gave Herbig a contract extension worth roughly $100 million in June, leaving three highly paid outside linebackers competing for two starting spots.
It’s a situation that had already prompted trade suggestions. In an Oct. 22 report, The Athletic’s Daniel Popper listed the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears as potential destinations and suggested Pittsburgh would likely consider only a player-for-player swap.
That earlier trade discussion focused on Pittsburgh’s needs at receiver and in the secondary rather than stockpiling future draft picks.
Alex Highsmith’s Contract Adds to Steelers’ Trade Questions
Highsmith signed a four-year, $68 million extension in 2023 and is under contract through 2027. Pelissero reported he is owed $8.861 million for the remainder of this season and $15.5 million next year, with no guaranteed money remaining on his 2027 salary.
That could make him appealing to a team that wants an established edge rusher beyond a short-term rental. It also leaves Pittsburgh with a decision to make about his future as his next contract year approaches.
For now, the Steelers have little reason to weaken their pass rush. They enter Sunday’s game against Cleveland tied with the Browns at 5-2 atop the AFC North. Highsmith, who has battled a groin injury recently, practiced fully Friday and carries no injury designation for the game.
He played a season-low 33 snaps against the Saints last week but remains a major part of Pittsburgh’s defense.
Highsmith himself has expressed a desire to stay.
“I want to be a Steeler for life,” he said during training camp, according to Steelers Now’s Brendan Howe.
The team’s position has remained just as consistent. Pelissero expects the phone to keep ringing, but he has not reported that Pittsburgh is willing to trade Highsmith or that a deal is being negotiated.
Steelers Keep Getting Trade Calls on $68M Defender Ahead of Deadline