The Pittsburgh Steelers biggest storyline of the offseason came to an end when they officially signed Aaron Rodgers to a one-year, $13.65 million contract last week. However, they still have one big order of business to take care of when it comes to T.J. Watt’s contract.
Watt previously signed a four-year, $112 million contract with the Steelers back in 2021, and he’s set to enter the final year of his deal in 2025. While the team’s front office has been heavily focused on luring Rodgers to town, they have also been working with Watt on a new deal to keep him in town.
To this point, though, no deal has been reached, but the good news is that there is still time for something to be hammered out. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, he believes that Pittsburgh and Watt will eventually agree to terms on a new deal, even though there hasn’t been much progress made to this point.
“I don’t get the sense it will be immediate, these things take time,” Rapoport said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “This is something that is ongoing. We’ll see if he’s there for mandatory minicamp … This is the next big deal for the Steelers to do. I believe it’s gonna happen, I believe they’ll get to a number that everyone can be happy with, it just hasn’t happened yet.”
The market for superstar pass rushers has exploded this offseason, as evidenced by the new contracts guys like Myles Garrett (four years, $160 million) and Maxx Crosby (three years, $106.5 million) have earned recently. Even though he will turn 31 in October, Watt is going to command a similar sort of deal given his continued greatness on the field.
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Watt was spectacular for the Steelers in 2024, as he racked up 61 tackles, 11.5 sacks, and a league-leading six forced fumbles while starting all 17 games for his squad. He earned his seventh straight Pro Bowl selection in the process, while also earning a spot on the All-Pro Second Team and a fourth-place finish in the Defensive Player of the Year race.
Without a new deal in place, Watt could conceivably skip the Steelers mandatory minicamp, but he would be giving up money by not attending, so that may be a counterintuitive move. For now, nothing appears imminent on this front, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see these two sides finalize a new deal before the start of the season.
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Featured image via Barry Reeger/Imagn Images