Steelers Ink New Fully Guaranteed Contract With Top Rookie Max Iheanachor

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a successful draft in 2026 as the team selected 10 rookies in the event. The first of that group was offensive tackle Max Iheanachor out of Arizona State University. This was a somewhat boring pick as the organization has selected an offensive tackle in the first round in three out of the last four years, but it was a necessary pick due to Broderick Jones' current health situation. The left side of the offensive line has a bunch of question marks, and drafting Iheanachor frees the franchise up in some regard. Also, a team can never have too many quality offensive linemen.

Pittsburgh's selection of Iheanachor was filled with a ton of drama and excitement. Pittsburgh initially wanted to draft wide receiver Makai Lemon, but the Philadelphia Eagles surprisingly jumped the Steelers at the last minute to draft the young wide out. The Steelers pivoted to offensive tackle, which was probably the right move. The rookie has been in Pittsburgh at minicamp and at other team activities, and he officially signed his rookie contract on Friday.

The deal is standard for any first-rounder as it is four years long with a fifth-year option that the team will get to decide on following the player's third season. The four-year deal is fully guaranteed and is worth $20.692 million, and that deal includes a signing bonus that is worth $11.598 million. 

Rookie contracts around the league are pretty standard and can get done quickly, and that is especially true when it comes to first-round picks. Those deals are always fully guaranteed, so there isn't usually much for the franchise and the player's representation to haggle over. Getting the deal done now eliminates any distractions moving forward, which is a good thing for the Steelers.

Iheanachor's deal was probably one of the easier rookie deals for the Steelers to get done out of the organization's draft class. The hard one is going to be wide receiver Germie Bernard's, who was the team's second-round pick. The amount of fully guaranteed contracts in the second round has been rising year by year, and the pick after Bernard was already given a fully guaranteed deal. That means Pittsburgh is probably going to have to do the same for Bernard.

What is interesting about this deal is that Iheanachor was selected with the 21st overall pick, and the Steelers drafted offensive tackle Troy Fautanu back in 2024 with the 20th overall pick. Fautanu's rookie deal came in with a value of $15.055 million, which is significantly less than Iheanachor's. This provides some perspective when it comes to how quickly the value of rookie deals are growing.

Steelers Have A General Idea Of Where Iheanachor Is Going To Play

It is unclear whether or not Iheanachor will be a starter to begin his rookie year with the Steelers, but it does seem like the coaching staff will have him playing on the right side of the offensive line. He played right tackle in college, and it seems like Pittsburgh wants him to do that in the pros. Fautanu could be moving to the left side, despite a successful start to his career at right tackle. Fautanu was a left tackle in college, so hopefully that transition is not too much to take on. Nothing has been made official about the tackle spots, but Fautanu will be starting at one of them. Jones' availability is still up in the air, and Dylan Cook is another name to watch.

What do you think about Iheanachor's rookie deal? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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