Stop what you're doing! T.J. Watt just took to social media, and it wasn't to thank the Pittsburgh Steelers for a new contract extension (something that is yet to happen). As the superstar defender awaits a lucrative new deal that could make him the highest-paid edge rusher in NFL history, Watt has a message for his fans. Only we don't know how to decipher it.
On April 9, an Instagram post of Watt went viral, as the All-Pro simply posted a picture of himself giving the 'peace' sign. Does he know something we don't?
Watt is set to enter the final year of a four-year, $112 million contract he signed just days before the start of the 2021 season when he finally marched into the facility and inked his new contract. This time, perhaps Watt is on the side of his agent.
This offseason, fellow Defensive Player of the Year award winner Myles Garrett made history when he signed a four-year, $160 million extension with the Cleveland Browns. Garrett's new contract included a whopping $40 million per season and $88.8 million fully guaranteed—resetting the market and making him the highest-paid edge rusher in NFL history.
Now, players like T.J. Watt and Micah Parsons are licking their chops for the chance to follow suit and break the bank with a new record-setting deal.
But it's possible the Pittsburgh Steelers and Watt aren't close on contract talks.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans shouldn't be worried about T.J. Watt's cryptic Instagram post
Before we get too deep into the woods with speculation, it's important to note that T.J. Watt's Instagram post is exactly that: a post. No more and no less. We can debate what it means until we are blue in the face, but this could all be for nothing.
Watt posting a picture of himself might be meant for nothing more than to pump up fans (or get a rise out of them). But the picture choice is admittedly most unusual.
The fact that Watt posted a picture of himself throwing up the peace sign brings back memories of when Antonio Brown took his jersey off during a game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and peaced out—never to see the field for the Bucs again.
Still, we're not going to get worked up about something that could mean nothing at all. The Steelers aren't a team that has ever been willing to trade away their star players—even in the late stages of their careers. At the same time, striking a deal with another team while Watt still holds value would make sense to some degree for a team that lacks a franchise quarterback and likely won't see another legitimate Super Bowl window until several years down the line.
Until we hear otherwise, assume that the T.J. Watt post has nothing to do with his future status on the team. But it's interesting, to say the least.