3 reasons Steelers must extend Derek Watt’s contract

He keeps T.J Watt a bit happier but that’s not his only presence in the locker room.

Derek Watt is part of the Watt family and it is easy to see the similarities. All 3 of the Watt brothers are some of the hardest-working players in the sport. It is nice keeping your superstar edge rusher happy by rostering his brother, but that isn’t the only reason why Derek Watt is such a great presence in that locker room.

For one, he is developing into the leader of that special team’s unit. Yes, he keeps things fun but when the best player of an entire unit is pushing everybody by example it adds to the group. It was disappointing to see him be as absent from the offense as he was, but you never would have heard him say that. With the team only getting younger as they get ready to reload, having a ‘first guy in last guy out’ type of attitude meshed with a bit of the team-first mentality coming from Derek Watt as the new leader of the special teams unit is always a nice plus.

There are also a lot of rumors circulating that J.J Watt will be granted a release by the Texans due to his contributions to the team and the city of Houston. J.J. wants to be a part of a contender, and Houston is reportedly up for granting him a release so he can pick who he signs with. The possibility of being able to play with both of his brothers in the same uniform on a potential Super Bowl run could be the push he needs to sign a team-friendly deal. I’m not saying this is the best reason to keep extend Derek Watt’s contract, but this is definitely the cherry on top if Houston does grant J.J a release.

All in all, it just makes sense to extend and restructure Derek Watt’s contract. It will give some more cap room in what is as of now Ben’s final year as a Steeler. It helps maintain such a great special teams unit, and it gives Matt Canada another option in his offense. #44’s contract is too high right now, but it’s better to keep him long term than to send him away prematurely.