The Pittsburgh Steelers and T.J. Watt just made some NFL history with his new contract. With a $41 million annual salary, it is the highest non-quarterback contract per year in NFL history. That exceeds Cleveland’s $40 million per year deal with Myles Garrett.
Watt will get paid $123 million on his three-year extension and, in total, with the last year of his current contract, will earn $144 million. That deal keeps Watt a member of the Steelers through 2028, and earns him the current distinction as the highest-paid non-quarterback.
Watt will not hold onto that title long, as the Dallas Cowboys will pay Micah Parsons and the Detroit Lions will likely pay Aidan Hutchinson soon. The Cincinnati Bengals could end up paying Trey Hendrickson more money than that, too.
Watt, 30, had 11.5 sacks a season ago and dealt with multiple injuries that cooled him off down the stretch. Before the injuries, Watt was the odds-on favorite to win the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year Award, which would have been his second in a storied career.
Drafted in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Watt tied the single-season sack record in 2021 with 22.5 sacks. Over his Steelers career, he has accumulated 108 career sacks, surpassing the team’s previous record. Now, this contract makes it likely Watt will retire a Steeler, something that the superstar notably wanted to do at the end of the season.
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