TJ Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers have work to do on a contract extension before the start of the 2025 regular season. As it stands, Watt has yet to put pen to paper with the franchise as July rapidly approaches.
Watt, 30, is entering the final year of his four-year, $112 million deal he signed in 2021. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler revealed the latest regarding a potential contract extension for the All-Pro pass rusher.
“The Steelers, I’m sensing, are optimistic that they can reach a deal with what eventually,” Fowler said on ESPN2 Sunday morning. “My sense is that he will probably be the highest-paid pass rusher in the league. When this is all said and done, he wants to be a Steeler for life. The Steelers want that. He’s a legacy type player.”
“They believe at 30 years old, he still has several good years left. They’re just going to have to come up with a number and a good guarantee structure. He did miss mini camp, so Pittsburgh has a lot of work to do. But typically, Pittsburgh perks up in these things around training camp and late July.”
By skipping mandatory minicamp, Watt was subject to a $17,462 fine on Day 1, $34,925 on Day 2 and $52,381 on Day 3. That’s $104,768 in accumulated fines. However, if he gets an extension at the rate Fowler expects — it will be nothing but a drop in the bucket for the star defender.
Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett signed a four-year deal totaling $40 million per year last offseason. It made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. Could Watt eclipse those numbers?
He seems to be worth every penny given the fact that Watt has led the NFL in sacks in three of the past five seasons. In eight seasons, Watt has tallied 108 sacks — fourth all-time among active players. He’s a four-time First-Team All-Pro selection and the 2021 AP Defensive Player of the Year.
It’s worth noting that the Dallas Cowboys are also expected to re-sign Micah Parsons to a new contract in the coming weeks before the start of the season. That remains to be seen, but he could exceed Garrett’s numbers after he reset the market in 2024. Depending on who gets their extension first, the latter could get a pay raise simply be holding out longer.
It appears the Steelers and Watt are in contract negotiations as we speak. It just might not happen in the immediate future. Still, Fowler appears confident the two sides will work out a deal before the start of the 2025 NFL season.
