Yet again, the Pittsburgh Steelers appear to be in a 'win now' mode. And sure, it's great to operate like that, but in many instances, front offices are convincing themselves that their team is in this position, even if it's not the truth. That is the case, unfortunately, for the Steelers.
Not only is this roster not quite good enough to be a juggernaut in the AFC, but a major burning question remains at quarterback, and this team seemingly waiting for an Aaron Rodgers' decision is kind of a brutal indictment on where this franchise truly is right now.
But even if Rodgers does return for one more season and signs another contract with Pittsburgh, not much is going to change, and it's very likely that the team is going to be in a similar spot next offseason. If that does happen, it also means one of their all-time great players is a year older and still extremely expensive...
The Pittsburgh Steelers may have an overpaid player on their hands in T.J. Watt
Brag Gagnon in Bleacher Report lists T.J. Watt as the Steelers' most overpaid player following the main wave of NFL Free Agency, and he had this to say about where he stands at this point in his career.
"He's had an incredible career, but Watt's three-year, $123 million contract makes him the third-highest-paid defensive player in the league. His sack numbers have plummeted in back-to-back campaigns entering his age-32 season. The eight-time Pro Bowler is not even close to being worth that kind of money these days."
Watt is going to end up in the Hall of Fame one day, along with his older brother, J.J. Watt. The Steelers' elite pass-rusher has been a generational player, making the Pro Bowl eight times, being named to the All-Pro team four times, and winning a Defensive Player of the Year award.
But at the same time, Watt is obviously not nearly the player he once was, and it's reflected in his pass-rushing totals. Watt may have had the 'worst' year of his career in 2025, finishing with seven tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 19 quarterback hits.
He is just two years removed from a 19-sack, 19-tackle-for-loss, and 36 quarterback hit season. One glaring issue here is the snap count total. Watt has played nearly 7,500 regular-season snaps and has suited up for 135 games. The pass-rusher missed three games last year as well.
Set to turn 32 years old during the 2026 regular season, Watt's prime years are over, but his contract says otherwise. He is the third-highest-paid EDGE rusher on a per-year basis, trailing Aidan Hutchinson and Micah Parsons. He is actually ahead of Myles Garrett in this category, which is mind-blowing.
Not only that, but he is the fourth-highest-paid non-quarterback in the entire NFL as well. His cap hit for the 2026 season balloons to $42 million, and the Steelers realistically cannot get out of this deal until next offseason if a team wanted to trade for him.
Watt is still a rock-solid player and is someone who can still fill up the stat sheet, but the production and overall impact on the defense have declined a bit these past two seasons, and this happens with every single NFL player.
Father Time is slowly catching up to Watt, and his contract truly does make him a bit overpaid. There does seem to be a thing present with some teams across the league in terms of paying franchise legends.
You almost have to wonder if the Steelers paid Watt this massive contract because of what he did for the team, rather than what he's able to continue to do. It does feel like this was the case.