Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers achieved their first major goal of the offseason by signing Aaron Rodgers. Now, without a doubt, the next big challenge is negotiating a contract extension for T.J. Watt.
Even though Watt became the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL in 2021 (thanks to a four-year, $112 million deal), the market changes quickly and constantly.
Now, the benchmark has skyrocketed to $40 million per season thanks to Myles Garrett, who has also made things very difficult for the rest of the teams with a brilliant deal that gave him $123 million guaranteed.
Will Steelers give T.J. Watt a contract extension?
The Steelers want to give T.J. Watt a contract extension. Mike Tomlin confirmed it at the end of mandatory minicamp, and a report from Adam Schefter stated that the deal will eventually get done.
“I think that the Steelers feel comfortable that they’ll be able to work out something eventually with T.J. Watt, but, this is something that has been going on for a while. This is not something new and sudden other than the fact that he decided to stay away from the mandatory minicamp which is a simple statement to make.”
How much does T.J. Watt make a year?
T.J. Watt is set to earn $21 million in the 2025 season, but none of that money is guaranteed. Looking ahead, the player wants to have a new contract on the table. Schefter explains that this is why he skipped mandatory minicamp. Send a message to the team ownership.
“Sometimes they feel like it’s more important to make a statement to the team about how they feel than it is to show up and avoid being fined. I think Pittsburgh and T.J. Watt will figure out a way to get it done.”