T.J. Watt gets 100% honest on Steelers future

Linebacker TJ Watt is fully committed to staying with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the long term wit his deal set to expire after 2025.

TJ Watt has been a mainstay in the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense ever since they drafted him in 2017 and with just a year left on his $112 million extension that was signed in 2021, it remains to be seen if he'll be in black and gold beyond 2025.

However, when asked by reporters about his future on Monday, Watt was vocal about inking a new deal and staying with the Steelers for the foreseeable future.

Via Brooke Pryor of ESPN:

“I want to be at Pittsburgh Steeler,” Watt said. “You guys know that. I don't want to leave this place, especially in this — I want to be part of the solution. I've put so much into it here. I've seen so many guys. I mean I want to help Cam Heyward get to where we need to get.

“I want to be a part of the solution. I don't want to leave this place. I love the people here. And that goes beyond just the coaches, it's the fan base, it's the people, the community, and we owe it to them to get it right. And I want to be part of the solution, not leave here and go somewhere else. That's not my intention at all.”

While the Steelers are 0-5 in the playoffs since drafting Watt, his impact is hard to ignore. The pass-rusher is a four-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler while also winning Defensive Player of the Year once. He finished the 2024 campaign with 11.5 sacks, 61 total tackles, and 27 quarterback hits.

Watt partially took the blame for the Steelers ending the season on a five-game losing skid, which included an elimination defeat on Saturday at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round:

“It's tough,” Watt said. “We sit here the same time as last year, the same time as I've been in this scrum and same questions, and I have the same answers. Obviously, I'm very frustrated with how things ended, and that's not just with the last game, that's at the last month of football.

“It's a collection of things, and it starts with myself, and I need to play better. We need to play better. There's not one thing that needs to be fixed here. There's a lot of things, but it starts internally with myself and needing to play better in bigger moments and it'll be a long off season to have to sit with that.”

Watt did struggle immensely over the final two contests, failing to register a single tackle. That should provide him with tons of motivation heading into '25.