NFL analyst predicts bold outcome for T.J. Watt’s next Steelers deal

Since Myles Garrett reset the edge rusher market in the NFL this offseason, teams have been rushing to finalize the next deal before the price tag for retaining their star pass rusher increases even further. Priority number one on the Pittsburgh Steelers' agenda is extending T.J. Watt, and an NFL analyst believes this deal will beat the other teams to the table.

ESPN's Peter Schrager joined The Pat McAfee Show to talk about the NFL edge rushers who are due for massive contracts. As Watt awaits his new deal, the Cincinnati Bengals have yet to pay Trey Hendrickson, and the Dallas Cowboys are on the cusp of a record-setting deal for Micah Parsons.

But Schrager believes the Steelers are 'motivated' and that they will be the next team to put pen to paper with their superstar defender.

"I think T.J.," Schrager said on The Pat McAfee Show. "I think T.J. Watt. I feel like I know both sides are really motivated to get something done here. They don't want to go into training camp and have this thing drag on. … Now, from what I'm told, both sides want it to get done. Obviously, T.J. Watt's going to want a certain amount of money. Question is, is it a game of chicken where it's, okay, T.J. Watt takes a deal that the Steelers offer and then, a week later, Micah Parsons blows his deal out of the water and we're in the same place that we were beforehand."

Some have speculated that this could be a repeat of the 2021 summer, when Watt missed all of training camp and the preseason before finally inking his deal before Week 1. Schrager doesn't seem to think so. Now it's a waiting game to see if the Steelers can come to terms before the Bengals and Cowboys.

The Pittsburgh Steelers need to extend T.J. Watt before the Cowboys and Bengals strike

When it comes to top-tier NFL contracts, it's a game of leapfrog. Before Myles Garrett reset the edge rusher market and broke the bank with a contract that netted him $40 million per year, it was Maxx Crosby who briefly led all edge rushers on a new deal that paid him $35.5 million per season. After Crosby earned his new contract, he was surpassed by two players—Garrett and Danielle Hunter—in roughly two weeks.

The same could happen with the next cluster of contracts that are due... which is exactly why the Pittsburgh Steelers need to strike first.

Though NFL Insider Ian Rapoport recently stated that he believes that Micah Parsons will be the 'highest-paid defender in NFL history', the Steelers can't be late to the table. If the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals strike first with Parsons and Hendrickson, respectively, Watt's price tag will undoubtedly rise.

However, if the Steelers are next in line, they know exactly where the numbers should come in. But perhaps the biggest factor of all is that they can put all of this contract drama behind them and focus on preparing for the 2025 season.