Steelers OLB T.J. Watt has spent the first eight years of his career in Pittsburgh, and he’s not going anywhere. That’s what his good friend and teammate Alex Highsmith thinks, at least. Appearing on The Insider on the NFL Network, he discussed Watt’s contract status and the perhaps unintentional controversy he started.
“I’m confident he’s not going anywhere. It was a cool picture at the game, I’m not gonna lie”, Highsmith said, referring to a picture Watt posted on social media that many interpreted as a sign of discontent. “I know he loves being here. He loves being in Pittsburgh, and the city of Pittsburgh loves him. I know that they’re gonna do whatever they can to get a deal done, so hopefully sooner than later. Because everyone knows he’s a generational talent, a generational player. We all know that he wants to be in this building”.
The Steelers drafted T.J. Watt in the first round in 2017. He is the only first-round pick the team has signed to a second multi-year contract since David DeCastro in 2012. While he posted “only” 11.5 sacks in 2024, he also led the NFL with six forced fumbles. He also had his usual production in terms of tackles for loss and pressures.
Watt will turn 31 in October, but to say there is a drop-off in his play is premature. After all, As recently as in 2023, he was a clear Defensive Player of the Year-type player. He still finished as a finalist for the award in 2024, placing fourth, and making second-team All-Pro.
Of course, nobody is arguing that T.J. Watt isn’t still a very good player. The issue is the sheer size of the contract. The Steelers just paid WR DK Metcalf $30 million per season, a team record. Assuming the Steelers get a deal done with Watt, it should be in the range of $40 million APY.
That is the market the Browns set on Myles Garrett’s extension after he threatened to demand a trade. Naturally, T.J. Watt will want to match or better that, but are the Steelers willing to go that high? On his last extension, he coerced Pittsburgh out of a major longstanding precedent. Prior to his deal, they avoided guarantees after the first year for non-quarterbacks.
And Watt managed to get the Steelers to guarantee his first three seasons, which he deserved. Since then, only Minkah Fitzpatrick has seen second-year guarantees in his deal from Pittsburgh. Now that he is on the wrong side of 30, though, would the Steelers be more cautious on that front?
It’s still hard to predict, because the front office with Omar Khan at the helm is still young. They have only gone through three drafts so far, so they are still formulating tendencies. And their precedent for being willing to guarantee second-year money for select generational stars isn’t that old, either. T.J. Watt forced the Steelers to do what they didn’t want before. Can he get them to pay out $40 million per year next?
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