NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport didn’t explicitly say that Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt is worth less in his contract negotiations than fellow edge rusher Myles Garrett was this spring. But Rapoport appeared to strongly imply that while discussing Watt’s contract situation on June 12.
On NFL Network’s The Insiders, Rapoport argued it’s hard to gauge Watt’s true value in the market because a couple top edge rushers around the league are still looking for new deals.
“Because we are still waiting on some of those massive deals, it’s a little tricky to see where T.J. Watt belongs,” said Rapoport.
Rapoport also suggested the Steelers are trying to avoid besting the deal Garrett received from the Cleveland Browns this offseason.
“You know if they possibly can, they’re going to try and not make him the highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL,” said Rapoport.
The Browns signed Garrett to a four-year, $160 million extension this offseason. Garrett will make $40 million per season, which is the new highest average annual salary for an NFL defender.
With Watt’s last contract extension in 2021, the Steelers inked Watt to a deal that made him the league’s highest-paid defender. The edge rusher made $28 million per season with the extension.
T.J. Watt’s Tricky Contract Situation With Steelers
The Steelers are likely trying to save as much money and cap space as possible in their negotiations with their edge rusher. That’s not breaking news; it’s economics.
That doesn’t mean the Steelers didn’t have the offseason goal of giving Watt another record-setting deal. The five-time All-Pro has earned it.
The potential problem the two sides could be having is the Browns reset the market with Garrett’s new deal.
After Garrett, Houston Texans’ Danielle Hunter is the next highest-paid defender in the league this season at $35.6 million. The next two highest-paid defenders, Maxx Crosby and Nick Bosa, both of whom are edge rushers, will make between $34-$35.5 million.
Before Garrett’s deal in March, the Steelers may have planned to top those deals with $36 or $37 million per season for Watt. But now, it’s going to take around an extra $4-$5 million per year to make Watt the highest-paid NFL defender.
Other edge rushers seeking new deals this summer include Micah Parsons and Trey Hendrickson. To Rapoport’s point, if either of them had signed new contracts, then the Steelers might have a better idea if the edge rushing market has truly reset.
But without new deals for Parsons or Hendrickson, the Steelers could be arguing to Watt that Garrett is overpaid.
Will Steelers Edge Rusher Make Less Than Browns’ Myles Garrett?
If Garrett was just another edge rusher, especially in the NFC, the comparison between Watt and Garrett might not be as big of a focal point.
But with Garrett in the same division, the two have developed a rivalry of sorts. On top of that, Garrett and Watt came into the league during the same draft class.
It’s not clear what the Steelers edge rusher desires with his new deal. It wouldn’t at all be surprising, though, if Watt won’t accept anything less than beating Garrett.
“It’s doubtful Watt wants to slot in behind Garrett,” Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora wrote. “The two have and will continue to be compared throughout their careers.
“Watt presumably wants and expects to take back the top slot, but Garrett’s market-value resetting deal complicates matters.”
What’s interesting about Rapoport’s update, though, is he framed the discussion around Watt’s value as assuming he will make less than Garrett. Kozora noted that framing from the NFL insider.
In Rapoport’s discussion, how much less Watt will receive than Garrett was the big the question.
But that assumption could be far from the conclusion at the Steelers-Watt negotiation table.
