Right now, quarterback looks like the biggest question for the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, it isn’t their only issue. T.J. Watt’s contract is also a piece of business the Steelers need to attend to. Watt only has one year remaining on his current deal, and he’s looking for an extension. While many of his peers have been paid this offseason, Watt still doesn’t have a new deal. Former NFL general manager Ran Carthon thinks Pittsburgh should change that immediately.
“If they don’t, someone else will,” Carthon said Tuesday on the podcast With the First Pick. “In short, pay the man. Just pay him. He is what you think of when you think of the Pittsburgh Steelers in this era of Pittsburgh Steelers football. He is an absolute dog.
“When you talk about needing a play to end a game, to end a drive, you know that Trent Jordan Watt is gonna go make that play for you. I’ll say pay him. It makes too much sense not to.”
Carthon hit the nail right on the head. Watt has been the face of the Steelers for the past few years. He’s been their best player, winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2021. While he wasn’t as dominant in 2024, he was still one of the best players in the league.
However, there are some precedents that the Steelers don’t tend to break in contract negotiations. One of those has to do with when they give out contract extensions. Usually, Pittsburgh doesn’t extend its players until they’re in the final year of their current deals. They also tend to wait until later in the summer to hammer out those deals, with Watt’s previous deal getting done in September of 2021.
Pat Freiermuth last year is a great example. The 2024 season was the final year left on Freiermuth’s rookie deal. Throughout the offseason, there were rumors that the Steelers were trying to work out a contract extension for him. However, no deal was officially done until September, two days before the Steelers played their first regular-season game of the year.
Now, whether that way of doing business is right or wrong is up for interpretation. However, with Watt, the Steelers might’ve been better off breaking their precedents. Playing the waiting game might have resulted in Watt’s price tag going up.
Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby, two players on a level similar to Watt’s, received huge new contracts this offseason. That likely gives Watt more leverage to ask for more money on his next deal. If the Steelers had been quicker to get a deal done, they might’ve saved some money.
Watt is the kind of player who should warrant breaking precedents, too. He’s been the perfect pro since the Steelers drafted him. In eight seasons, he’s become one of the greatest players in the franchise’s history, even being their all-time sack leader.
Watt is a captain, the best player on the team, and one of the best players in the NFL. Yes, he’ll turn 31 this year, but he’s still more than deserving of a new contract. Carthon is right. Pay the man.
