The wait continues around the NFL for several high-profile edge rush contract situations to be sorted out. In the case of T.J. Watt and the Steelers, it remains to be seen if an extension agreement can be reached before Week 1. 
Watt has drawn trade interest from suitors, but even though the Steelers are evaluating his value the pending 2026 free agent is widely expected to stay in Pittsburgh for at least one more season. Ensuring his future beyond that point will require another lucrative investment on the team’s part, with Watt a strong candidate to once again reset the pass rush market. A clearer picture of his asking price seems to have emerged.
During Monday’s episode of Kaboly+Mack (video link), Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show laid out the parameters of what he is “pretty sure” Watt is seeking. Per Kaboly, the former Defensive Player of the Year is angling for a five-year contract with the first four years guaranteed at an average annual value higher than Myles Garrett‘s $40MM. Topping Garrett’s mark in terms of per-year compensation has long been expected, but a commitment of that length by the Steelers would certainly be notable.
As evidenced by the fact an agreement is still not in place, the Steelers are not – at least for now – willing to go to those lengths to retain Watt on a third contract. Entering his age-31 season, the seven-time Pro Bowler naturally faces questions about his ability to remain among the league’s top pass rushers over the course of his next deal. Watt’s level of play late in the 2024 campaign is believed to be a cause for concern from the team’s perspective, and projecting his production over the coming years will be key for general manager Omar Khan in arriving at an agreement in this case.
Deviating from standard organizational procedure in a number of ways, Khan has taken a different roster-building approach in some respects than predecessor Kevin Colbert. 2025 in particular has seen the Steelers make notable win-now moves like the Aaron Rodgers signing and the trade acquisition of Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith. Pittsburgh’s chances of making a postseason run would be greatly hindered by trading Watt, and the team’s 1-10 record in games without him certainly helps the four-time All-Pro’s leverage in negotiations.
Steelers players are set to report to training camp on July 23, which marks a somewhat notable checkpoint in this process. A holdout would come as a surprise given the fact it would lead to mandatory fines, although some view Watt as the likeliest player engaged in extension talks to take that route. During negotiations on his second Steelers pact, the three-time sack leader opted to hold in and it would come as no surprise if he did the same this time around.
Garrett’s four-year, $160MM Browns extension (which contains just under $124MM in total guarantees and roughly $89MM locked in at signing) still represents the bar for edge rushers at this point, but Micah Parsons is among the players who could sign a larger deal before Week 1. Watt is in a similar situation despite the age gap between he and Parsons, leaving plenty to be determined over the coming weeks. It will be interesting to see if the Steelers find a middle ground between their valuation and his asking price in time for the start of the season.
When’s the next drug screening? Does the nfl screen for psychedelic drugs cause this boy is trippin. Let’s pay a dude who has played a decade in the league and has as many playoff wins as me close to some $50 million per.
Number one mistake of any franchise is paying/rewarding a player for past performance.
You watch him a highsmith play and they’re both equally good. Watt is better at rushing; Highsmith is better against run. Watt should be paid closer to Highsmith money than Garrett. $25/yr
In 2022 when TJ Watt missed significant time Highsmith had 7 games 3.5 sacks.
in 2022 with Watt and highsmith on the field 10 games 11.5 sacks…
Highsmith is just another product of Watt, like Bud Dupree was. Highsmith shouldn’t be making $25M is the real issue here.
Nah, hard pass. Too old for that kind of money.
Too much injury 😪 risk…..
Let’s face it, they’re not trading him. We’re going to hear an update everyday even when there’s nothing to update.
They’re not trading him because no team is that dumb to make a trade at $top dollar for a player whose best days are playing for another team…..with players it’s always about getting paid for what they did in the past and not getting paid for what they will do in the present and future…..
It’s not “always” about getting paid for what they did in the past.
Garret Wilson got paid for what he will do in the present and future.
Likewise, Micah Parsons is young enough that isn’t about the past.
Rocky, you have heard of the NY Jets haven’t you
4 years $1 billion.
Sadly that’s not far away.
Sadly? Would you rather the owners Scrooge all the funds instead?
A lot of them would.
Sadly that grown men playing a sport are getting paid that much.
Why? Wouldn’t it be great if everyone was rich?
Well if everyone was rich, there’d be no such thing as being rich. You would be like everyone else.
Being rich is about what you can buy and what you don’t have to do.
If you think it’s about how you rate on a list of who has the most assets sitting in a bank you’re confused about life.
The owners don’t get the money just because it doesn’t go to a single player.
Personally, I’d rather the top guys made less and the minimums were higher.
I’d argue they should all get paid based on a percentage of the cap and playoff bonuses. Maybe they’d begin to see the value of taking less so you get a better team around you instead of seeing your teammates as the enemies you have to beat.
Sorry TJ, your greed and obsession with being above Garrett has unbalanced you
He’s signed for this year. Then tag him for the next two and be done with it
Watt’s a great player but he’s out of his mind
I can’t wrap my head around the fact that these 30+ year old players think teams should sign them for top money and years into the future. Watt has been great, but also hurt. Hendrickson has been great, but is getting older. Football players eventually have a severe drop in production and it can happen quickly, even over one off-season. I can’t see signing a 31 year old to a 4-5 year contract. Garrett is getting 40 million because he is basically the only superstar that Cleveland has, and they need some reason for the fans to come to the games. In my humble opinion you don’t pay one guy 40 million for a few sacks, you spread the cash around and get better at each position. Doesn’t matter if you’ve got one guy who can rush the QB effectively if the other 10 guys on defense can’t hold their own, because then your most effective weapon is going to get double teamed. Bottom line, there’s a salary cap and if you’ve got a few guys taking up half of the money you aren’t going to have a very good team. To me it’s better to have a lot of guys who are good at their job than 1 superstar and 10 scrubs. My opinion and mine alone.
Fair and valid thoughts. Just playing devil’s advocate here but the other side of that coin from the player perspective is if you’re in a position to negotiate a second or third contract then you were vastly underpaid relative to your production during your initial rookie contract. So it’s hard to accept leaving money on the table at the end of your career.
In terms of building a roster I agree in general that it’s best to spread the money around but in this specific case I think the Steelers are in a decent position to just pay Watt. Assuming they plan on drafting a qb the only player on offense making big money is DK Metcalf for the next couple years. If they draft a good qb they can extend him in three years mostly from Watt’s contract coming off the books.
I’m sure there are better contrary points than “I was underpaid once” “I can afford it” or “We might have a cheap QB”
These are all supposed to be financial decisions based on valuation of some sort.
The bottom line man is that 30+ players all want new guaranteed contracts based on what they did previously for their team or a new suitor…..he wants guaranteed money….but what if the team asked for guaranteed production based on his career stats….the smart GM would structure a contract based on that….if you play up to or exceed your average career stats…..the contract $$$dollars stay intact….but if you don’t….there is a sliding scale downward based on your new performance…….if Watt is betting on himself….that is more than fair…..
So in your structure, the owners have no downside, only upside.
That is why Jennings in SF is seeking a restructure. He has outperformed his current contract.
If you read my vomment correctly the owners downside is signing a guy and either paying him his huge ask….or seeing a player underperform against a still swollen contract….
There’s a salary cap dude. If you give too much to one player you lose depth.
The problem is that it’s guaranteed or it’s not. You can’t call it a guaranteed deal and then make it based on production. It’s an either or option just based on the English language.
The problem in my mind is that TJ wants top dollar and none of the risk and as great as he is I think he’s already proven he isn’t worth that much. Paying that much money and guaranteeing it after 30 is a massive raise to a player who makes so much money the team can’t win at all when he sits. That confirms his greatness but he’s proven to give us a high floor and made zero difference in our post season record. You can’t win in the NFL giving 15-20% of the cap to individual players unless you manage to field half a roster of decent guys for the price of one star. We’re also about to draft a new QB. The team is far better off trading cam and TJ & focusing on guys who will be here after 3 years. It hurts the team long term if you make a serious effort to win this year but TJ and Cam both deserve a chance to win so I support that 100%. I don’t support 4/170 guaranteed or even support conversations that start in that neighborhood.
There is a little LeBron in LA going on in that the Steelers are opening up a new window of contention. They can’t afford to keep older players who might leave gigantic financial holes in the years when that team needs to be adding finishing touches. If TJ wants to get paid for production no one can question he’s exactly what they want right now. The only question is how much salary cap space they can bet for the right to pay him top dollar. I’d argue you shouldn’t bet anything for the right to pay the highest price (sort of redundant) Betting 170 million that would literally cut your cap 40 a year for 4 years in a worst case scenario would be criminally incompetent. A team one piece away that can afford it might be able to convince themselves the risk is worth it but for the Steelers it would be a terrible risk that has almost no chance of delivering a title, is guaranteed to hurt future chances at least a little and could completely undermine the post tj team.
I think the money is really important to him and I also think the Steelers are unlikely to give him more than a single decent shot at a SB. I think everyone should be adults and he should be traded somewhere he can get what he wants and that is worthwhile for the Steelers. I’d trade Cam too if he wanted or even if he was unsure. He’ll always be a Steeler but winning a superbowl is huge and we owe him that experience. Not by trying really hard but by helping to create it for him.
I don’t expect Cam to get moved but it’s hard to see a TJ contract making either side happy. I’d want a good return in trade but it doesn’t have to be just picks. Golden and next years first from GB along with the edge he displaces for TJ helps get a QB next year and fills the number 2 WR hole this year.
I think he will get traded. SD or Buffalo would be good fits as they make SB runs but Detroit or GB should already be on the phone. Pitts has to get a top young QB.
San Diego doesn’t have a team, and the chargers do not make Superbowl runs regardless.
I recall yinzers also saying Cam Heyward was too old and greedy and delusional and then he went out and had another elite year after he got paid.
WTF else are they going to spend their money on?
Anything besides the guy who single handedly keeps them relevant…? K.
Apples and oranges, 66
There’s enough greed on both sides of the ledger, I grant you that.
Watt has this obsession with Garrett. Ok, you ask what else should they spend it on? Salaries that bolster other positions, of course. I wouldn’t expect Watt to give the Steelers a discount of course, but at what point is enough enough in terms of accrued wealth? At what point do players realize what others have eloquently stated above, that time waits for no one, that production slows, that injuries ensue?
I’m a dinosaur and you’ll have to forgive me for this thinking.
Cam took a deal to stay. TJ wants every penny and he wants it guaranteed. Comparably great players. Pretty opposite late career priorities.
“Cam took a deal” was not the reaction at the time…first few comments from…
11 comments on “Steelers, DT Cameron Heyward Agree To Extension”
“Hope he at least stays healthy
What an over pay.
As a fan of this franchise, I hate this franchise.
Nothing like a new contract after a bad, injury plagued season. Good agent.
Why???? 3 years for a once great player in decline…money could of been spent elsewhere”
The internet has an unlimited ability to find quotes supporting any position you can think of but…
I’m not saying anything about cams value or how it was perceived at the time. He asked for a big contract but took what was offered instead of holding out,demanding a trade or playing out the last year and leaving. Money and even winning were secondary to being a Steeler. I’d be surprised if we had the same outcome with TJ.
Agree 100%
A lot of good points made on both sides of the argument here. Watt is a great player, a guy who influences games and hostage a great deal of the time due to double and even triple teams. None of that is in question
I’m sure the Steelers will solve the situation as they keep pounding the “Steeler for life” line.
As an old school fan I would have liked to see him get a fair payday while being reasonable to the organization. 66 is right in asking just what the Steelers have money for—the pay salaries, of course. But this team still has some holes that need filled and having some flexibility to get talent to fill those needs would be nice. That’s all.
Again, feels like Watt’s obsession with being on a par with Garrett or one-upping him trumps everything else
I could see Carolina making a play for him. Both the GM & HC know they are on a short leash so why not blow picks and Tepper’s cash?
He would never go to Carolina. Why be in the cellar every year? If you want a winna, you gotta drop that chicken dinna.
He’s under contract w/o a no trade clause.
If he wants to win the salary battle with other players it means playing for a team that is willing to make that a priority over winning.
Garret cares about winning at the bank rather than on the field. Plenty of owners have the same mentality as well. Watt seems to favor that model.
It’s probably one of the most common traits these days. I think it’s distasteful, shortsighted and a danger to long term success of the team. Sort of gross too. Win win deals used to be a universal goal. Now they’re for losers.
LOL all of these laughable comments bleating that Watt shouldn’t get paid based on past performance. There’s no better measure of future performance than performance to date. Those stats people keep dismissing are the literal metrics one can use to predict future performance. The dude has been one of the best defensive players in the league- and one of the most valuable players on his team- and that means a lot more than the hypothetical possible maybe potential it-could-conceivably-happen slowdown that may or may not occur because the player made the unwise decision to turn 30. Pay the man. He’s not greedy. He wants a performance premium, and he’s earned it.
You realize there’s a salary cap, right? And there’s 53 players on a team. And you see what teams that don’t have depth do by the second half of a 17 game season.
You do realize there’s such a thing as context, right? There’s a bunch of comments on each blog, and you see what happens when one person responds to them. Like I did. I responded to, 1.) Those people spouting illogical comments dismissing Watt’s actual performance to date as a barometer of future performance and relying, instead, on the number of candles on his birthday cake, and 2.) The misguided comments calling Watt greedy for simply wanting to get paid for proving it on the field as one of the best defensive players in the league.
And you replied to me talking about salary caps, which is a legitimate debate point in the general sense, but nothing to do with the points I was making.
Except you’re completely ignoring the fact that the anatomy of the body for a vast majority of NFL athletes breaks down post 30. No one is denying his prior stats are off the charts, but cannot and will not be a predictor for future events because he does not possess the body. He had at 25, 26, 27, etc when he performed these feats.
It mystifies some. Even the players themselves.
A T L
Watt is one of those short list guys who impacts the game profoundly from defense. I remember that opener against Buffalo a couple of years ago where he was just terrorizing Josh Allen in the second half where they came back and stole that game. Did it against Burrow the next year’s opener too. His concerns are the injuries and his age, but he’s one of those short list elite guys. I’d pay him before I’d pay Parsons personally if we’re talking about impact.
🤣
Poor guy is gonna only make $25 million this year and count 30 million against the salary cap. I don’t know how he’s gonna live.
Watt is roughly the age that Reggie White was when he left Philly for all of the people whining about age and past performance.