T.J. Watt remains an elite defensive player, one who could reset the market for pass rushers later this summer.
That seems to be the general consensus. So why is it taking so long for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Watt to come to an agreement on a new contract and end the speculation and talking points that surround the situation?
According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, the general consensus around the NFL is that the Steelers are concerned with the way Watt finished the 2024 season and could be questioning his projection moving forward.
“Yeah, I mean that’s more the common sense around the league,” Florio said, according to video via 93.7 The Fan on YouTube. “Why would the Steelers be waiting so long? Why would there be this sense that there’s a gap? You never pay a guy for what he’s done. If you pay guys for what they’ve done, you’re asking for trouble. And you know, the cliche used to be that the NFL is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league. It’s not that either. It’s what are you doing for me right now and what do I expect you to do for me tomorrow? That’s what guys get paid on.
“They don’t get paid on the past, they don’t get lifetime achievement contracts. They get paid based on what we think this guy brings to the table right now, this year, next year and maybe one year beyond that. And that’s the key.”
Watt struggled down the stretch last season. There’s no denying that. He had back-to-back goose-egg performances in the regular-season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals, and then in the Wild Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Around Christmas, a report surfaced that Watt was dealing with a thumb injury. That was right around the time that he was battling through an ankle injury suffered a few weeks earlier against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Those injuries could have played a factor in his lack of impact late in the year. He clearly wasn’t himself. What might have also factored in was that teams were able to easily scheme against him, too. Watt was always on the left side of the Steelers’ defense (right side of the offense) and never moved from his spot.
That made it easier for teams to chip and double-team him in an effort to negate his impact.
Despite putting up a goose-egg showing against the Bengals, Watt did generate six pressures in that loss. He also graded out at an 88.3 overall from Pro Football Focus.
In the playoff loss, he generated four pressures, but graded out at a season-worst 51.5 overall from PFF. On the year, Watt played 1,002 snaps and still finished as one of the NFL’s best pass rushers per PFF’s metrics.
But there might be concerns with the struggles late in the year, not to mention the injuries piling up. Watt will turn 31 years old in October and already has nearly 7,000 career snaps under his belt. The body could start to show signs of wear and tear, like it does for everyone.
If that is a concern for the Steelers, it makes sense. Paying a pass rusher on the wrong side of 30 years old 40-plus million per year and committing term and guarantees to him to reset the market could cause some hesitation. That’s only natural.
That said, if GM Omar Khan, owner Art Rooney II, and head coach Mike Tomlin want Watt to remain a one-helmet guy and finish his career as a legacy Steeler, they’re going to need to pay up. That means taking a chance on Watt still being an elite player the next few seasons despite his age at a premium position.
