The T.J. Watt household just got a whole lot richer, something that J.J. Watt made sure to take notice of.
On Thursday, T.J., a pass rusher for the Steelers and former Defensive Player of the Year, signed a three-year, $123 contract extension to stay in Pittsburgh.
The average annual value of the deal, $41 million, is the most-ever for a non quarterback in the NFL. The previous record was the $40 million a year deal that Browns star Myles Garrett inked in March.
Upon hearing the news, J.J., the oldest of the Watt brothers, took to social media.
A three-time Defensive Player of the Year himself, Watt earned $129,748,000 over his 12 years in the NFL, just a few million more than what T.J. will make over the next three years.
With that news, J.J. wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "I swear, if this guy even lets me begin to reach for my wallet at dinner…"
Playing in a slightly different era of the NFL, T.J. has already earned $110,902,038 through his first eight years in the league. He has also nearly surpassed his brother’s sack total for his career.
Heading into the 2025 season, T.J. has 109 sacks between the regular season and playoffs combined. J.J. finished his career at 120.5. Looking at just the regular season, J.J. tallied 114.5, and T.J. is right behind him with 108.
While Watt’s extension with the Steelers has set records and made plenty of waves, it wasn’t always a sure thing. Earlier this summer, Watt skipped minicamps in June as a part of his standoff with Pittsburgh.
Now however, with the two sides in agreement, the Steelers approach training camp with a loaded roster and without a massive contract looming over everyone’s heads.
Along with extending Watt, the Steelers also traded for and extended DK Metcalf, traded for Jalen Ramsey and former Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith, and signed Aaron Rodgers this offseason.
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