NFL Trade Rumor: Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers linked to $68M Pittsburgh Steelers star amid Nick Herbig's expensive contract

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ star player, Alex Highsmith, has found himself in the middle of trade rumors ever since the team signed a four year deal with Nick Herbig for a whopping $100 million. While the team has not confirmed if Alex Highsmith will be traded, the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers have emerged as potential landing spots.Though a number of rival teams have been linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ star player Alex Highsmith, as per NFL insiders, the Detroit Lions, the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys might be interested in him.A few hours ago, Steelers Wire’s Andrew Vasquez noted in a recent report, “The Lions defense desperately needs another talented edge rusher opposite Aiden Hutchinson, and Highsmith could be that missing piece, depending on the compensation Detroit is willing to give up.”The report added, “With Micah Parsons expected to be out until mid-October, the Packers would be wise to give the Steelers an offer they can't refuse for Highsmith in order to keep their defense as competitive as possible throughout 2026.”The 28 year old Pittsburgh Steelers’ Alex Highsmith entering the third season of the four-year, $68 million contract extension he signed in 2023 with the team.If the Pittsburgh Steelers trade Alex Highsmith is traded before the 2026 season begins, the team would instantly clear his entire $14.5 million base salary from their books.But the Pittsburgh Steelers would also have to sustain a $11.2 million dead cap hit for 2026.For the Pittsburgh Steelers, while trading Alex Highsmith does create salary space to look for new players, the defense does suffer as the team will lose T.J. Watt's top pass-rushing partner.For the Detroit Lions, trading for Alex Highsmith would help to solve their weakness in defense and he would also be relatively affordable with the team. The Detroit Lions have $35 million in available salary cap space.For the Green Bay Packers, trading for Alex Highsmith keeps the pass rush strong while Micah Parsons recovers from his brutal injury which he sustained in the last season.