As we hit the quiet part of the offseason, there’s one big issue the Pittsburgh Steelers must figure out, and that revolves around T.J. Watt. The star edge rusher is heading into the final year of his current deal, and has watched a few other players at his position receive their own massive contract extensions in the meantime. Going forward, legendary former Steelers’ running back Jerome Bettis has no worries that the Steelers will eventually come to an agreement with Watt.
“I’m confident they’ll get a deal done with him,” Bettis said, speaking on The Zach Gelb Show on Thursday. “He’s a generational talent. The Steelers, they’re not gonna let a guy like him leave the organization. I think he’s one of those guys that, he’ll retire a Pittsburgh Steeler. He’s been that great, that much of an impact. And he’s still an incredible football player. So I do believe that it’ll get done.”
While the Steelers are stalling with Watt, they’re still handling business in the meantime. They figured out a one-year deal with Aaron Rodgers, who was the previous big storyline of the offseason, and also signed DeShon Elliot to his own extension recently. Pittsburgh’s caught some criticism for taking so long with Watt’s deal. While that may be fair, they could have been trying to get all their ducks in a row before committing that type of money.
Still, all signs seem to point to an eventual agreement. It seems that all parties want the extension to happen. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy to figure out, though.
From Watt’s point of view, he certainly has the argument to become the highest-paid defensive player in football. During a stretch of seasons with extremely inconsistent offensive play, Watt’s leading a defense that’s keeping the Steelers relevant and contending for the playoffs. Pittsburgh really struggles to win without Watt on the field, who’s elite against both the run and pass.
However, the Steelers also have reasons not to top Myles Garrett’s average annual salary of $40 million. For one, Watt is now heading into his 30s. Although he’s still playing at a high level, he did have a drop in his pass-rushing stats last year. Both of those things could point to Pittsburgh wanting to drop the salary slightly.
Even if they do, Watt should still come in around $36 million, and likely higher. That would be more than Maxx Crosby and Danielle Hunter, who each received extensions of around $35 million per year this offseason.
T.J. Watt is the definition of what it means to be a Steeler. All the reporting we’ve seen so far suggests that the Steelers are eager to keep him around. Bettis is likely right that the two will agree to an extension at some point before the season begins. We’ll just have to see how much it comes out to, compared to the other highest-paid defenders around the league.
