FRISCO - Did the Pittsburgh Steelers already blow it? And for the same reason, did the Dallas Cowboys already blow it?
The Steelers, in the view of one legendary player - who happens to be the big brother of another legendary player - might be about to find themselves in trouble as a result of their procrastination.
After waiting to extend star pass rusher T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh might've butchered the deal altogether ... or at least botched an opportunity ... based on what T.J.'s big brother J.J. is revealing.
T.J. is entering the final year of his contract and he discussed openly his desire to extend last season. But the Steelers sat on their hands.
Now, during a recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, J.J. is saying that he thinks Pittsburgh might've received a hometown discount last year just to get the deal done early.
But now... who knows?
"The earlier you get the deal done, the better deal you get. That's just a fact," Watt said. "That's why, my personal belief, they should have done it last year because I think there was a hometown discount to be had last year. But now the longer you wait this year, you've got Micah [Parsons] coming up. ... You got Aidan Hutchinson, you got Myles [Garrett]. These guys are getting new deals.
"That number's gonna inch closer to four in front of than threes. So you're gonna want to get that done earlier rather than later because the price isn't going down."
"Four in front'' means we're on the verge of these guys making $40 million per year rather than $30 million per year.
And of course, J.J.'s remarks very much apply to the Dallas Cowboys as well. His mention of Parsons is especially appropriate here because strangely, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones keeps insisting the timing of a deal is immaterial.
And Jerry is simply wrong.
Wrong in part because of what J.J. is saying about inflation.
But also wrong, specific to Dallas, because a new deal for Micah will actually reduce his 2025 cap impact from above $20 million to about half that ... giving the Cowboys $10 million more in free agency buying power.
Watt has easily been one of the best at his position his entire time as a pro. He had a down season last year by Watt standards, but he's still playing at an elite level.
Over the past eight seasons, he's posted 462 total tackles with 331 solo and 126 for loss, 108 sacks, 223 quarterback hits, seven interceptions, 33 forced fumbles and 12 fumble recoveries including one scoop and score.
And Parsons? If there is a pass-rusher who is better than Watt? That's a very short list, but Parsons is on it.
J.J. is right, in both cases. Proactivity saves money.
Don't do that and you might be blowing it, botching it and butchering it.
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This story was originally published March 8, 2025 at 6:47 PM.