The T.J. Watt contract situation seems to be at a standstill with the Steelers, but can they afford to wait? Watt’s brother, J.J., already warned them against doing so, suggesting having waited this long has already cost them. The crux of the issue may well be the $40 million APY contract the Browns gave Myles Garrett, which is currently an aberration.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, however, warns against waiting. By the time the Steelers hash the T.J. Watt contract situation, it may already have company. Responding to reports that Pittsburgh is treating the Garrett contract like the Deshaun Watson deal—one the rest of the league would stay away from—he suggested playing that game is foolish.
“Here’s the mistake: Micah Parsons is out there. So if I represent T.J. Watt and [the Steelers] say, ‘We think the Myles Garrett deal’s an aberration. We don’t think this is gonna continue’, I’ll say, ‘Fine. Get back to me after Micah signs’”, Florio said of Watt’s contract standoff on 93.7 The Fan. “Because when Micah signs, it’s going to confirm that this is where we are now”.
T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, and Micah Parsons are usually grouped as the top three pass-rushers in the NFL. The order varies, but two of the three already have a Defensive Player of the Year Award. Watt and Garrett have both had a contract that was the highest at the time of signing. Florio believes Parsons will be the next to stand atop the hill when he signs.
“That’s what complicates this. You’ve got Watt and Parsons. If I’m Watt, let’s wait [and see] what Parsons gets. If I’m Parsons, let’s wait and see what Watt gets” on his contract, Florio said. He argued that Watt should be more tempted to wait than Parsons, though, suggesting that Parsons becoming the highest-paid defender is a given.
And if the Steelers drag their feet on the T.J. Watt contract, Garrett’s deal won’t be an aberration anymore. So if they are in any way trying to use that argument with Watt’s representatives, it may have a short shelf life. After all, the Cowboys reset the quarterback market for Dak Prescott, so why not with Micah Parsons on the edge?
Watt has less bargaining power than during his first contract negation, though. Not only is he soon to be 31, he is also coming off arguably his weakest full season since his rookie year. In 2024, he recorded 11.5 sacks and 6 forced fumbles. That sounds pretty good until you consider that he recorded 13 and 6 as early as 2018.
Equally concerning is the fact that there were games in which he had no statistical impact. In the Steelers’ playoff loss to the Ravens, he recorded no tackles, sacks, forced fumbles, or anything else across 63 defensive snaps. He only has one sack and one recovered fumble in four career postseason games. The Steelers can pay T.J. Watt what he wants on this contract, but will it translate to playoff wins? It hasn’t so far.
