The Pittsburgh Steelers are not interested in having a down season; they want to win now. General manager Omar Khan and team president Art Rooney II both made that goal abundantly clear during the 2026 offseason. Thus, trading away a veteran player who can help the team would seem to be counterintuitive to the plan.
But with the 2026 NFL Draft on the horizon, the Alex Highsmith-Nick Herbig trade buzz has never felt more real.
Highsmith and Herbig have frequently been linked in trade rumors and mock trades throughout the offseason. Now, one unnamed NFL executive has said he believes the Steelers will trade one of Herbig or Highsmith during the draft.
Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports wrote about the Steelers' edge rusher dilemma and why one veteran could be on the move during the draft. But it was more than just a gut feeling. Robinson included a quote from an unnamed high-level NFL executive who believes a trade involving Highsmith or Herbig will materialize during the draft.
"Highsmith’s name, along with fellow edge Nick Herbig, is definitely floating around front offices as the draft approaches, although it seems that any trade would be a one-but-not-both scenario, with Highsmith being the likelier candidate to get moved," Robinson wrote.
"But with Herbig waiting in the wings and having been very productive while rotating with Highsmith and T.J. Watt, the Steelers are expected to take some calls on Highsmith if the phone rings. As one high-level personnel executive said, “I think they will trade one of them [between Highsmith and Herbig].”
Where there's smoke, there's often fire... and this Steelers trade rumor has been smoking all offseason.
It makes perfect sense for the Pittsburgh Steelers to trade Alex Highsmith during the 2026 NFL Draft
As Robinson outlined, the Steelers have a dilemma at outside linebacker. Herbig is not only seeking a massive contract extension, but he has also made it clear that he wants a full-time role on defense. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is already dishing out big money to T.J. Watt and Highsmith, so adding a third massive deal to one position seems like an imbalance of positional spending.
Because of this, a trade makes sense—and moving Highsmith might be the desired choice.
Highsmith was a draft pick of former general manager Kevin Colbert. Though Khan was on Colbert's staff and may have had input in the selection, this wasn't 'his guy'. On the other hand, Khan stuck gold on Herbig in his first-ever draft as Steelers GM.
Considering Herbig is still just 24 years old and is an ascending player, Khan could give himself the ultimate pat on the back by keeping the 2023 draft gem and trading Highsmith, who will turn 29 before the start of the 2026 season.
While parting ways with a player like Highsmith would sting in the short term, Khan would give himself extra draft capital to work with and maneuver this year. Including Highsmith in a deal could help the Steelers jump from pick No. 21 to a top 10-15 selection in the draft. If this isn't the plan, trading the vet outside linebacker could at least fetch Pittsburgh a Day 2 pick, possibly as high as a second-rounder.
If Highsmith were to be traded, the Steelers would have the cap flexibility to get Nick Herbig locked up to a long-term deal while granting him his wish of becoming a full-time starter on defense. It would also help the Steelers build for the future. And in a class rich with pass rush depth on Day 2, Khan could invest a second or third-round pick back into the position with a young, talented player on a rookie contract.
I still wouldn't bet on the Pittsburgh Steelers executing a trade during the draft that would send either Alex Highsmith or Nick Herbig packing their bags, but all the signs—along with the latest trade rumor buzz—simply make too much sense to ignore.
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