Alex Highsmith enjoyed a breakout campaign with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022, racking up a career-high 14.5 sacks and forcing a league-leading five fumbles. Unsurprisingly, Highsmith was looking for a contract extension from Pittsburgh this offseason, and after a bit of a wait, he finally got it, signing a big four-year, $68 million extension with the Steelers on Wednesday morning.

With T.J. Watt missing a big chunk of the season, Highsmith stepped up and replaced his pass-rushing capabilities for Pittsburgh, and parlayed it into a nice new extension. In addition to his sacks and forced fumbles, Highsmith racked up 63 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 20 quarterback hits last season, proving himself to be a top-tier pass-rusher on the Steelers elite defense.

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Highsmith will now be making an average total of $17 million per year on this deal, which puts him in the top tier of edge pass rushers in the NFL, and after last season, it's tough to argue that he doesn't belong in this group. Highsmith only turns 26 in August, and is coming off an extremely impressive campaign that should have earned him a Pro Bowl berth.

With Watt back in the fold as well for what the Steelers are hoping will be a full season, they now have their pass-rushing duo of the future locked up for the next few years. Both Watt and Highsmith are game-breakers on the defensive line, and with a new big-money deal in his pocket, look for Highsmith to follow up his breakout 2022 campaign with some more big sack numbers in upcoming seasons.