There are very few player vs. player rivalries that are still alive in the NFL, especially between two players on the defensive side of the ball. However, one that is still very much kicking is the battle of wills between Pittsburgh Steelers dynamo pass rusher TJ Watt and Cleveland Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett.
With both Watt and Garrett heading to Canton at the end of their careers and their statistical achievements looking so identical, contract negotiations were tense for both of them in recent months. However, Pittsburgh's recent deal with Watt might get the competitive Garrett feeling a bit perturbed.
The Steelers agreed to a three-year, $123 million contract extension with Watt that will pay him $41 million per year and make him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history. If that number sounds familiar, it's because the Steelers intentionally did that to needle one of their greatest rivals.
Garrett is a few months removed from forcing his way into a four-year, $160 million contract with the Browns that will pay him $40 million per season. After Garrett thought he'd be at the top of the pack for a while, Pittsburgh decided to send him back to second place.
Steelers pay TJ Watt more than Myles Garrett with new contract
Though Garrett has the edge in run defense and has produced with less quality around him on terrible Browns teams, Watt actually has more sacks since entering the league than Garrett. Watt, shared both four First Team All-Pro nods and one Defensive Player of the Year Award with Garrett, has three single-season sack titles to Garrett's zero.
Watt may not have led the league in quarterback takedowns like he did in 2023, but it's hard to find fault in a season that featured 11.5 sacks and yet another postseason appearance. Watt's contract will keep him as the apex predator on the Steelers' defense with and without Aaron Rodgers.
While Garrett's Browns are projected to be one of the worst teams in the league, if not the absolute worst, by many preseason prognosticators, Watt and the Steelers are gunning for a Super Bowl after signing Rodgers and pulling off major win-now moves like trading for DK Metcalf, Jonnu Smith, and Jalen Ramsey.
The Garrett-Watt debate will continue to rage on, and it doesn't look like either of them will put any major distance between themselves in the coming years if they keep up their usual high-quality production. However, the Steelers giving Watt a contract that tops Garrett has to get the Cleveland superstar green with envy.