Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Steelers have been in contract talks with OLB T.J. Watt regarding a long-term deal.
According to Dulac, the expectation is that the two parties will be able to get an agreement in place before the start of the regular season.
Even so, Dulac admits there are some “not-so-minor stumbling blocks” that could get in the way.
“The holdup in the deal will be contingent on what Watt is seeking and how much and how long the Steelers are willing to guarantee his new contract,” Dulac writes.
The new contracts signed by Myles Garrett and Nick Bosa have pushed up the average annual salary for pass rushers, so there could be a gap to be bridged in the coming months before a deal is set in stone.
Mark Kaboly mentioned recently that the Steelers have offered a contract to pass rusher Watt, but it’s unlikely he would sign it as it isn’t on par with the contracts of players like Garrett.
“I’m under the belief that there is a contract offer on the table right now, which is pretty significant. However, it’s probably not what [Watt] thinks it is,” Kaboly said on his podcast.
Watt is entering the final year of his deal in 2025 and is set to make a base salary of $21.05 million. His contract currently comes to around $28 million in average annual value, while Garrett’s new deal is worth $40 million per season.
While it’s unlikely Watt or any other defensive player will surpass Garrett’s contract, it isn’t hard to think Watt probably wants the gap between their contracts to be closer than what Pittsburgh has presented thus far.
Pittsburgh was showing an urgency earlier this offseason to get a deal done with Watt while he expressed his interest in retiring as a Steeler.
Watt, 30, is a former first-round pick of the Steelers back in 2017. He played out his four-year, $9.258 million contract and made a base salary of $1.72 million in 2020.
Pittsburgh exercised Watt’s fifth-year option for $10.089 million in 2021. He then signed a four-year extension worth over $112 million with the Steelers that included $80 million fully guaranteed at signing.
In 2024, Watt appeared in all 17 games and recorded 61 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, two recoveries, and four pass defenses.
We’ll have more on Watt as the news becomes available.
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