So far, the only smoke that’s come out of a building was at the Vatican. Not Pittsburgh. Despite star EDGE rusher T.J. Watt entering the final year of his contract and the Steelers’ public comments wanting to keep him in Pittsburgh for the entirety of his career, there’s been no reporting to indicate the two sides are working on an extension. That’s led ESPN’s Ben Solak to use the “I’m not saying, I’m just saying” approach in a Tuesday article sharing 100 NFL thoughts entering 2025.
“I am not ringing any alarm bells, but I find it interesting that T.J. Watt is in the final year of his deal with pretty much no smoke about an upcoming extension. I find this doubly interesting when you consider that he [turns 31 in October] and is coming off his worst season as a pro. And I find it triply interesting that Watt has never won a playoff game with the Steelers, who may be approaching a massive organizational overhaul if coach Mike Tomlin cannot figure out the quarterback position. Just a thought!”
The only “smoke” there’s been about a deal came from Watt in early April, posting a cryptic Instagram photo of him walking off the field after a game flashing a peace/goodbye sign. It led many to speculate Watt was unhappy with his situation either by the lack of contract talks or lack of meaningful progress if discussions were taking place.
Solak’s points are largely correct. Watt’s in the last year of his deal and there’s been little noise about the team working on an extension even as the pass rush market heats up. Watt’s 11.5 sacks in 2024 would be a career mark for most players but they represented a down season for Watt. He recorded just two sacks over his final five regular-season games and including the postseason, he went four-straight games without one.
Injuries have been a recurring issue, Watt playing through a thumb injury that contributed to his quiet finish on top of past MCL sprains and pec injuries. Drafted in 2017, Watt has never experienced a playoff win, about the only thing missing on his career resume.
Still, there’s no signs pointing toward an “organizational overhaul” on top of the changes the team has already made. And no indication that would include letting Watt leave. Pittsburgh doesn’t tend to get contract extensions done early. Watt’s record 2021 contract took until the 11th hour to finalize with Watt himself reportedly frustrated over the long timeline of negotiations. Under GM Omar Khan, deals get reached in June at the earliest and the end of July at the latest.
Myles Garrett’s $40 million average yearly value contract makes the Steelers’ situation more complicated. But an extension with Watt is more likely to occur than not, making the “alarm bells” Solak protests he’s not ringing end with the sound of trumpets announcing a new deal.
