When T.J. Watt made a cryptic post on Instagram on April 9, Pittsburgh Steelers fans were thrown into a tizzy. Watt has long awaited a lucrative new contract extension that could make him the highest-paid edge defender in the NFL, but there has been no word about contract talks as we approach the NFL Draft.
It didn't take long for Watt's post to reach national media attention, as NFL analysts speculated about what it could mean. Mark Schlereth believes Watt is genuinely disgruntled with the organization, and he has more reason to be than ever.
On April 10, Schlereth voiced his opinion on Breakfast Ball. Predicting what's running through Watt's mind, Schlereth believes the Steelers star is furious with the organization because of the neglect his contract extension has received this offseason.
"If you're T.J. Watt, you say, 'Hey, wait a minute now. You just made DK Metcalf, big-time player, big-time pay at the wide receiver position for our team. He's never done squat for us,'" Schlereth said. "So you did that in the offseason, and now you're flirting with Aaron Rodgers. And that's all we're consumed about; that's all we talk about."
If this is the way Watt feels, it's not hard to understand where he's coming from. Watt has been the best player on the team for the better part of a decade, but it appears that DK Metcalf and Aaron Rodgers have somehow taken precedence.
The Pittsburgh Steelers must smooth things over with T.J. Watt
It's hard to say what types of conversations the Pittsburgh Steelers front office has had with T.J. Watt over the previous months, but it's probably safe to assume this comes down to money. After watching Myles Garrett reset the edge rusher market and become the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, Watt is waiting for his bag... and the Steelers may be reluctant to hand it over.
Shortly after Garrett requested a trade from the Browns, his four-year, $160 million extension was announced. His $40 million per year average and $88.8 million guaranteed came in higher than most anticipated.
Garrett is coming off a phenomenal season, while Watt was quiet down the stretch and lacked overall production in 2024. But Watt and his agent don't want to settle for less. The Steelers star is on a historic pace in terms of production and sack totals, and unfortunately, contracts are based on what a player did in the past, not what we believe they will do in the future.
I understand the holdup from Omar Khan and the front office as well. Watt will turn 31 years old in October, and though he was frequently chipped as a pass rusher in 2024, he was able to be taken out of the game entirely at times. Should the Steelers hand a player $40 million per season when his best football is likely behind him? That's the ultimate question.
We still don't know exactly what Watt meant by his cryptic Instagram post, but there's a growing belief that there's something to this. Trading Watt would feel totally uncharacteristic of this organization. An extension could still come, but the numbers could be higher than we anticipated. Keep your eyes peeled.
