The Pittsburgh Steelers have had one of the organization's more aggressive offseasons in 2025, and the team has been uncharacteristically assertive when it comes to acquiring talent and spending money. Pittsburgh made some splash moves to bring in players like DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey, and Jonnu Smith, while also pursuing Aaron Rodgers to be the team's starting quarterback for the 2025 season. Another situation that had been lingering over the franchise's head was a new extension for star outside linebacker TJ Watt, which was agreed to on Thursday afternoon.
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Steelers' TJ Watt looks on in pain after suffering an ankle injury against the Eagles during the 2024 season.
The contract dispute between Pittsburgh and Watt looked like it might get ugly, and it seemed like it did for a couple of weeks. The star wanted to be paid what he was worth, while the organization also had to keep the future of the team in mind. The frustration over a new deal likely began for Watt prior to the 2024 season, as his brother JJ Watt has publicly stated that the organization had the chance to extend him in 2024, but chose to wait a year to get a new deal done.
JJ was emphatic when speaking about the mistake Pittsburgh made in waiting until after the 2024 season to extend TJ. He stated that making a decision like that creates unnecessary tension between the player and the organization, which certainly played a role in the negotiations during the 2025 offseason.
Delaying the extension also hurt the Steelers as more star edge rushers around the league signed new extensions prior to TJ, which reset the market and forced Pittsburgh to give up more money. Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett, and Danielle Hunter all got new extensions before TJ, which kept the price tag going up.
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Steelers' TJ Watt meets with Browns' Myles Garrett after a game in Pittsburgh.
TJ's new deal is for three years and it is worth a total of $123 million, with $108 million guaranteed. That deal could have been cheaper in terms of the average annual value, but Pittsburgh decided to wait to get a deal done. Garrett became the highest-paid defender in the NFL when he signed a four-year, $160 million deal with $123.5 million guaranteed during the 2025 offseason. This has an average annual value of $40 million per season, and that became the price to beat for TJ's team.
Had Pittsburgh worked on a deal prior to the 2024 season, there wouldn't have been nearly as much competition when it came to signing TJ. The most comparable players who signed deals during the 2024 offseason were Brian Burns and Josh Hines-Allen, who each signed five-year deals worth roughly $150 million. The highest-paid edge rusher going into 2024 was Nick Bosa, who had signed a five-year deal worth $170 million at the start of the 2023 season.
If a deal had been worked out for TJ ahead of 2024, it would have had to beat Bosa's contract. His deal has an average annual value of $34 million per season, and TJ could have been extended for something in that $34 to $37 million range in terms of a per season average. Instead, Pittsburgh waited, and TJ will receive an average annual salary of $41 million per year.
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Steelers linebacker TJ Watt goes through warmups on the field prior to kickoff on Christmas Day as Pittsburgh prepares for a highly anticipated holiday matchup.
Steelers' TJ Watt Deserved Every Penny He Got On New Deal
There is no question about whether or not TJ deserves his new deal. He has been the best defender in the league over the course of his career, and this was the right move for Pittsburgh. It is not the player's fault that the Steelers decided to wait to get a deal done, and according to JJ, Pittsburgh was given the opportunity to sign TJ for cheaper before the 2024 season. The team waited, and the organization was forced to fork over more money to retain its best player.
Do you wish Pittsburgh extended TJ before the 2024 season? Let us know in the comments below!
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