Edge rusher T.J. Watt is now a lot closer to finishing his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers after signing a new contract extension Thursday. In the immediate future, Watt should continue to lead the Steelers defense, which is the unit that must dominate if the team is going to win with a 41-year-old starting quarterback in 2025.
But not everyone was a fan of the Steelers inking Watt to a new contract. FOX Sports’ Nick Wright was highly critical of the decision on FS1’s First Things First on Thursday.
“The Steelers are gonna continue to have eight, nine wins,” Wright said. “Their path out was recognizing they weren’t gonna do this once they signed Aaron [Rodgers], but trade T.J. [Watt], get great draft capital for it, eventually get a quarterback.
“Instead, they want to do this. I think it’s a mistake. I also think T.J. Watt, I don’t know where he is as far as his career arc … I worry a bit about how he and his brother’s bodies aged.”
The Steelers signed Watt to a new four-year, $144.05 million contract. The deal includes a three-year extension worth $123 million.
With that extension, Watt has the highest average annual salary of any non-quarterback in the NFL.
Nick Wright Blasts T.J. Watt Extension
While T.J.’s health doesn’t have much to do with his brother and the injuries he dealt with at the end of his career, Wright’s last point about Watt’s body is valid. The Steelers edge rusher has had multiple serious injuries during his career.
Paying the edge rusher an average of $41 million per season through 2028 could be very costly if Watt isn’t healthy.
The rest of Wright’s argument, through, didn’t make a lot of sense.
If the Steelers were going to trade Watt this offseason rather than sign him to an extension, the team shouldn’t have signed quarterback Aaron Rodgers and traded for cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Those are win now moves.
The Steelers can’t win now without the edge rusher that’s led the NFL in sacks since 2017.
Watt posted 11.5 sacks in 2024, which was his lowest total in a full season since 2017. But the entire Steelers defense experienced a downturn in December. In 2023, Watt led the NFL in sacks for a record third time.
The 11.5 sacks was lower than what he’s produced throughout his career, but the Steelers edge rusher still registered his sixth double-digit sack season in 2024. He also had 19 tackles for loss, 27 quarterback hits and four pass defenses.
What makes Watt such a terrific defender is the impact of his sacks. The Steelers edge rusher led the NFL with six forced fumbles last year.
He’s had at least four forced fumbles in five of the past seven seasons.
New Watt Contract Details Revealed
The full details of the edge rusher’s new contract were a little confusing because some reporters called a three-year, $123 million extension while others referred to it as a four-year, $144 million contract.
Technically, both are correct. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio provided more details Friday.
Watt’s contract included a $40 million signing bonus, and his base salary through 2027 is fully guaranteed. But for 2028, Watt has a $15 million roster bonus due on the third day of the league year. Nothing else is guaranteed.
In total, Watt will receive $108 million fully guaranteed. Florio called the deal the largest guaranteed amount for a non-quarterback in NFL history.
But, the Steelers aren’t on the hook for anything with Watt beyond 2027. They could move on from the edge rusher in two and a half years if he shows any signs of decline.
The deal will very likely keep Watt in Pittsburgh until after he turns 33 years old. But to stay even longer, he will have to continue being productive.
