Joe Burrow isn’t the only AFC North quarterback putting pressure on his team to get a deal done with a star defensive player.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers made a small — but notable — comment about the need to get star outside linebacker T.J. Watt signed and back with the team Tuesday during his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
Rodgers, who signed with the Steelers on June 5 just a few days before the start of minicamp, applied some pressures to the Steelers Tuesday during his appearance on McAfee’s show.
“And once we get our Hall of Fame outside rush backer signed, you’re talking about another guy who’s a leader, not just by his example, but by his words,” Rodgers said of Watt when discussing the team leadership dynamic within the locker room, according to video via the show’s YouTube page.
As is well known, Watt skipped mandatory minicamp, continuing to not show up this offseason after not attending voluntary Organized Team Activities. Watt, who is coming off of an 11.5-sack season while leading the NFL in forced fumbles, is in line for a contract extension entering his age-31 season.
He sits second in the NFL over the last two years in sacks with 30.5, behind only Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson (35), so he remains one of the league’s best pass rushers, period. The 2024 season was rather difficult though as he was schemed up against with chips and double teams from opposing offensive lines, while quarterbacks aimed to get the ball out quick to negate Watt’s impact.
It led to plenty of frustrations for Watt, and it culminated in back-to-back no stats showings against the Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens to close the season in Week 18 and then the Wild Card Round loss. Despite that tough close to the season, Watt deserves to be paid among the best defensive players in the NFL.
Having watched Cleveland’s Myles Garrett and Las Vegas’ Maxx Crosby receive huge extensions this offseason, Watt seemingly isn’t happen with the way his contract negotiations are playing out with the Steelers. He created some buzz this offseason with an Instagram post throwing up the peace sign, leading to speculation about his potential future in Pittsburgh. Skipping minicamp certainly hasn’t quieted the noise.
Both sides want to get a deal done, but there’s no sign that anything is close, and there’s no indication of how long this could take. The Steelers might have to get creative to appease Watt, depending on what he’s asking for in terms of money.
One thing is clear: the Steelers need Watt on the field, and quickly. They can’t afford for this to drag out through training camp and create an even larger distraction. Hopefully the two sides are able to get a deal done and get a great leader back into the mix, giving the Steelers a shot at competing in 2025.
