T.J. Watt contract extension with Steelers should happen soon

The Pittsburgh Steelers will soon be making T.J. Watt one of the highest-paid players in the league. Here’s what a new extension could look like. 

Though present for Steelers training camp this year, T.J. Watt did not work out in any team sessions. This wasn’t due to injury; rather Watt has been on the cusp of a lucrative new contract extension that will soon make him the highest-paid defender in the NFL.

Watt, who led the NFL in sacks, tackles for a loss, and quarterback hits in 2020, according to Pro Football Reference, could earn the biggest payday ever handed out to a defensive player in terms of annual yearly earnings on his new extension.

Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently made a prediction that the Steelers will sign Watt to his extension shortly after the game against the Carolina Panthers on Friday, August 27th. We figured this was coming soon, but it sounds like they are ready to put the final stamp on this.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk recently took a stab at estimating some of the numbers that T.J. Watt’s new deal could include. Joey Bosa is currently the highest-paid defensive player in the league at $27 million per year in new-money earnings. With his current contract year thrown in, Florio predicts that we could see somewhere in the ballpark of a five-year, $118.58 million or six-year, $147.19 million. Either contract would make him the highest-paid defender in the NFL.

Steelers need to get this done right away

To me, it’s not a question of whether or not you pay T.J. Watt. Of course, you have to. What’s the alternative? Franchise tag him twice and let him walk in free agency for a compensatory third-round pick? Obviously, that’s a terrible option, and it’s extremely unlikely the Steelers would be willing to deal him in a trade.

We knew this deal was coming and, because of the way the system works, we knew that T.J. Watt was going to be right up there with the highest-paid players in the NFL – that’s just part of the business. However, I was hoping this contract situation would have been taken care of weeks, if not months ago.

Because of this contract ‘hold-in,’ Watt has been with the team but hasn’t really worked out in any capacity with his teammates in team sessions. Though I’m very confident Watt is putting in enough work to keep himself in NFL shape, it’s possible that he could get off to a slower start after not playing a snap with his teammates this summer.

What’s most important is getting this deal done before the season, as neither side wants to worry about a contract dispute when there are clearly bigger fish to fry.

By the sounds of things, the Steelers and T.J. Watt should come to an agreement within days that will lock him up in Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future. Let’s hope Watt is ready to roll when this team takes on the Buffalo Bills in Week 1.