Things aren’t going all that well right now in contract negotiations between star pass rusher T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it could be due to the amount of guaranteed money the Steelers are offering the franchise stalwart. For ESPN Insider Jeremy Fowler, who appeared on 93.7 The Fan’s PM Show with Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller, Watt seems to be seeking more in guarantees than another pass rusher who already signed.
That would be Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, who has consistently been the measuring stick for Watt while competing in the AFC North.
“Yes, that is my sense. Don’t hold me to that, but that is certainly my sense,” Fowler said when asked if the hold-up in Watt’s contract is him wanting more guaranteed money than Garrett. “If I had to look back at the deal, Myles Garrett’s deal was a classic win-win, I thought, for both sides, because Myles got what he wanted, but the Browns also had some escape hatches in that deal.
“It was not iron clad in that it was fully guaranteed or the percentage wasn’t outrageous, where T.J. Watt got a really strong percentage on his last deal, plus the way the market’s going now he is 30 years old. So the Steelers can hold that against him a little bit. The whole defense didn’t play well at the end of the year. I do think that included Watt.”
Garrett, who previously requested a trade publicly from the Browns, signed a four-year, $160 million deal with the Browns on March 9, securing $123.5 million in guarantees, including $88.8 million fully guaranteed, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
That contract spiked the market for pass rushers immediately, which now has not only Watt in line for a huge raise, but the likes of Dallas’ Micah Parsons and Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson as well.
“So, they’re gonna have to find that middle ground,” Fowler said. “But the guarantees are looming large here. I would say that is a big part of this.”
For Watt, who has a Defensive Player of the Year award under his belt, to go along with four first-team All-Pros and two second-team All-Pros, not to mention seven Pro Bowls and has led the NFL three times in sacks, he’s more than deserving of a record contract. Even in his 30s, he has a case to surpass Garrett.
When Watt signed his current contract with the Steelers on September 9, 2021, he received $80 million guaranteed. Numbers have inflated in the pass rush market since then. Even Las Vegas’ Maxx Crosby got a huge deal, landing $91.5 million guaranteed in early March.
Watt has had better numbers than both Garrett and Crosby in recent years, sitting second in the NFL in sacks over the last two years with 30.5, behind only Hendrickson. It’s understandable if he’s hung up on the guarantees and wants a certain number, especially if that means surpassing Garrett.
Things have been rough recently with Watt, who is not pleased with the stall in talks and is prepared for any outcome with his contact demands, even if that could lead to a trade. The Steelers want him to be a one-helmet guy, but they need to be reasonable with the financial aspect, too.
The most likely outcome as we sit here today is that Watt signs an extension and remains a Steeler for life, but until that ink dries on the paper, nothing is certain.
