Aaron Rodgers was hard. T.J. Watt might be even more difficult.
We're talking Pittsburgh Steelers contracts, of course, and on Tuesday, as the team launched its mandatory minicamp?
The new QB is in the fold.
The ol' QB chaser is not.
Pass rushers have enjoyed a massive jump in the market this NFL offseason. Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett and eventually Micah Parsons and Trey Hendrickson are all examples of new contracts reaching up near $40 million annually for the position.
Watt wants ... something. And so NFL Network is noting that on Tuesday morning, he's a no-show for minicamp.
This is presently a problem. And it might linger.
Watt, who is entering the final year of a four-year $112 million contract, had been absent from OTAs as he campaigns for a new deal.
The former Defensive Player of the Year previously had the record for the highest-paid contract at his position when he signed his current deal in 2021. This season, without an extension, he'll make $21.05 million on salary and cost $30.4 million total on the cap.
Watt, 30, is entering his ninth year in the NFL and remains one of the game's best defensive players. In 2024, he totaled 11.5 sacks and a league-leading six forced fumbles.
He has in his career led the league in sacks a record three times and owns four First Team All-Pro honors to go with his 2021 DPOY.
It's been written that there is the "expectation" that Watt and the Steelers will find a common ground before Pittsburgh opens the 2025 regular season with a matchup at the New York Jets on Sept. 7.
But for now? Steelers fans get the feel-good story of Aaron Rodgers signing on at $13.65 million ... and the bad-news story of T.J. Watt's unhappiness with Pittsburgh.