It’s not just the like of a contract extension that’s rankling Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt. It’s watching everyone else in front of him land their deals first while Watt continues to wait. Wednesday, ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler offered important updates on Watt’s contract situation to clarify the issues and how both sides are still attempting to move forward.
“So Watt appears to be unhappy with the fact that look, you’re bringing in all these other players,” Fowler said on ESPN’s Get Up. ” You’re bringing in these veterans, and you’re paying DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey’s a big salary. That could be money that’s allocated to me.”
Fowler is one of several sources to note Watt’s displeasure with his current contract situation, reasons that extend beyond the mere fact a deal isn’t done in early July. That makes sense. For Watt to solely be unhappy over the lack of a deal at this time of year wouldn’t mesh with the fact Pittsburgh often doesn’t get big-money deals done until late summer. In 2021, Watt didn’t sign his extension until September, three days before the regular season began.
In a fast and furious offseason, Pittsburgh hasn’t hesitated to sign others. The first major move came in March, trading for WR DK Metcalf and handing him a five-year, $150 million deal. The largest contract to an outside addition in team history. After a three-month wait, QB Aaron Rodgers signed his one-year deal in June, though it was an inexpensive contract for a veteran starting quarterback.
Most recently, the team traded for and paid CB Jalen Ramsey and TE Jonnu Smith. The Miami Dolphins ate a portion of Ramsey’s salary but the Steelers still took on a bulk of his contract and reportedly gave him a small 2025 raise. Smith received a one-year, $12 million extension, a hefty payday that was more than Pat Freiermuth’s extension last year.
While tension’s are seemingly running high, the Steelers sound committed on reaching the finish line with a contract extension.
“I talked to a source with the team,” Fowler said. “They said, look, we’re working on it, we’re working on this deal. We want to resign T.J. Watt. They want him to be a Steeler legacy player and to get something done.
“He will most likely be the highest paid edge rusher in the entire league once that happens. But as was cautioned to me, these are hard deals to do. They take a lot of time, especially with this level of money.”
For Watt to be happy about waiting in line to get paid, it’s hard to imagine him taking less than Myles Garrett and Fowler reiterated previous comments he’s likely to top Garrett’s deal. Guarantee money might be as much as sticking point as average yearly value and there’s plenty of midnight oil Omar Khan and Cole Marcoux (who replaced Khan’s role as the “cap guy”) will burn before September 9.
Training camp begins in three weeks and while it would be ideal to get Watt’s contract done by then, all parties involved will likely need to exercise a little more patience.
