2026 NFL Draft: Contract details revealed for Steelers first-round pick Max Iheanachor
Max Iheanachor was the No. 21 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, the former Arizona State star’s contract details have been revealed.
Iheanachor will sign a $19.9 million, fully-guaranteed four-year contract with the Steelers, according to Spotrac. He’ll be given a $10.9 million signing bonus to go along with a $4.9 million AAV. He’ll be paid $3.6 million during his rookie season.
Iheanachor spent three seasons with the Sun Devils after transferring from East Los Angeles College as a top JUCO recruit. Iheanachor went on to play 32 games for Arizona State during his college career, including 31 starts.
This past season, Iheanachor played 860 total offensive snaps, including 484 passing plays. Iheanachor allowed 14 pressures and three quarterback hits, but didn’t allow a sack this past season during 12 starts at right tackle. He earned Second-team All-Big 12 Conference honors as a result.
The 6-foot-5, 321-pound offensive tackle didn’t play football in his early years. Born in Nigeria, he moved to Compton, CA when he was 13 and played soccer and basketball growing up.
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Before moving to FBS, Iheanachor was the No. 23 JUCO recruit from the 2023 class, per the Rivals Industry Rankings. That’s a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services.
Notably, all first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft will receive four-year deals with fifth-year club options. Their salaries are fully guaranteed, which is different from those selected in rounds 2-7. Instead, they’ll sign a four-year contract with no club option.
According to Spotrac, this year’s base rookie salary is set at $885,000, which is up from last year’s $840,000 minimum. The last pick in the draft (No. 257) will be expected to sign a contract worth $4.4 million, which would be a $913,565 salary for year one.
That minimum could be expected for undrafted free agents, who will sign their deals once the draft is concluded. UDFA rookies can sign for up to three years with no club option.