Trust the Board Episode 14 ties Steelers extension momentum to a broader look at the AFC and NFC picture

Trust the Board is back for Episode 14, released June 8, 2026, with Joey and Ryan framing two themes for the offseason: a Steelers “extensions” focus and the start of a new summer series breaking down every NFL division. The show’s structure is also revealing. Rather than treating contract updates as isolated news, it folds them into a bigger question NFL teams face every spring, how do you keep the roster cohesive while the league continues to refresh?

For the Steelers, that strategy has turned concrete in early June with contract moves that keep Pittsburgh’s young core from resetting again at the start of the next free-agent cycle. Tight end Darnell Washington is one of the clearest examples. reported the Steelers agreed to terms on a four-year, $42 million extension with $21 million guaranteed. The coverage also emphasized what the team is buying beyond the box score, Washington’s value as a large, physical contributor in the passing game and as a blocker, and it tied the payday to production from his 2025 season and broader growth as a pro.

Washington’s extension came immediately in the wake of another important in-house deal, linebacker Nick Herbig’s reported four-year, $100 million agreement that includes $42 million guaranteed. NFL Network insider reporting placed Herbig’s annual value at $25 million and noted the statistical jump that helped drive the market conversation, including a career-high 7.5 sacks and a season line that featured 30 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, three passes defensed, and his first career interception.

Pittsburgh’s own transaction trail and team release language also matter for understanding how the organization is presenting the work. lists Herbig as signed to a new five-year contract and includes details on his snap production and development arc through 2024 and 2025, while also capturing what the signing meant to him publicly as he spoke after agreeing to the deal. In other words, the Steelers did not just extend a player, they marketed him as a foundational piece of the defense moving forward.

Herbig’s extension, in particular, fits a roster-building logic the NFL Network write-up spelled out: it framed the deal as both a reward and a forward-looking move to protect Pittsburgh’s pass-rush identity as key contracts age. ’s report described how the Steelers have invested heavily at edge rusher, including T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, and positioned Herbig as a long-term “rising” complement within that group. That is the kind of continuity that can stabilize a defense through coaching cycles and personnel turnover, which is exactly the type of theme a division review series can help contextualize.

The “division review” portion of Episode 14 begins with the NFC West, a division that serves as an annual measuring stick for roster toughness and quarterback resilience across four different team identities. The show’s choice also makes sense from a scheduling standpoint. Even when Steelers opponents are in the AFC, the NFC West is where you often see high-end passing matchups, physical defensive front play, and playoff-grade coaching philosophies all in one place, and those traits tend to shape what the league’s best teams look like when the postseason compresses the margin for error.

What to watch next is twofold. First, keep an eye on whether the Steelers continue the pattern of locking down young starters before they reach the most expensive phase of the contract cycle, since Washington and Herbig represent a clear push to secure key roles beyond a single season. Second, follow the Trust the Board division review series as it moves past the NFC West, because the episode framing implies a comparative exercise, not just a recap of transactions.

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