T.J. Watt will get paid in due time. Unlike 2021, he might not walk away as the NFL’s highest-paid pass rusher. Instead, he could slot in below his division rival Myles Garrett’s $40 million average yearly value. That seemed to be the takeaway of NFL Network lead reporter Ian Rapoport, who hinted as much Thursday evening.
“You know if they possibly can, they’re going to try and not make him the highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL,” Rapoport said on The Insiders, referring to the organization’s feelings about what a Watt extension would look like.
Rapoport spent most of the segment comparing Watt to the likes of Las Vegas Raiders’ DE Maxx Crosby and Cincinnati Bengals’ DE Trey Hendrickson. Crosby was the first edge rusher to get paid this offseason at $35 million average yearly value, while Hendrickson, like Watt, is waiting for his payday. If and when that occurs, it almost certainly won’t top Garrett’s figure. The report framed Watt as needing other pass rushers to get paid to help slot Watt’s market value, implying he won’t be No. 1 when his contract gets done.
“Because we are still waiting on some of those massive deals, it’s a little tricky to see where T.J. Watt belongs,” Rapoport said.
Watt certainly got his credit from Rapoport, who noted the importance of paying him fairly as a player who will one day be inducted into the team’s Hall of Honor. Rapoport also showed no concern over the odds of a deal getting done before Week One. But it’s fair to wonder if one of the sticking points of the deal is that average yearly value. It may be the least important element of a contract, as structure and guaranteed money matter more, but the average value is the most public figure.
It’s doubtful Watt wants to slot in behind Garrett. The two have and will continue to be compared throughout their careers. They came out of the same 2017 draft class, compete in the same division, and are annual frontrunners for Defensive Player of the Year. Both have won it once. Watt presumably wants and expects to take back the top slot, but Garrett’s market-resetting deal complicates matters.
If that is the standoff, who caves first? Does Pittsburgh relent and have Watt top Garrett? There’s merit in that to keep a star player happy. If the Steelers are willing to pay him $39 million per year, why not go to $40.5 million? Or will Watt’s camp give in and take under Garrett’s mark, still making him a likely top-two paid pass rusher and significantly increasing his current earnings? A deal will get hammered out, but what it looks like will be a key storyline.
