Insider breaks down how T.J. Watt's record deal with Steelers came together

USA Today

18-07-2025

From The Insiders on @nflnetwork: From T.J. Watt's ✌🏼 pic to the 💪🏼 shot today, the #Steelers stayed calm and confident a contract extension would get done. And it did. pic.twitter.com/X05KtYbeOa
Fans may have been growing nervous over the months-long T.J. Watt contract talks — but insider Mike Garafolo reported the same can't be said for the Steelers organization.
On Thursday's episode of NFL Network's The Insiders, Garafolo discussed how training camp impacted Watt's new three-year, $123 million contract extension — and how the Steelers were confident throughout the negotiations that a deal would get done:
"I remember talking to people in the [Steelers] building then, and I mentioned this on The Insiders, they said, 'Look, [Watt] probably just doesn't want to come to minicamp. Like, he'll be here for training camp because we feel really good about the offer we put out there right now. It is right there at the top of the market.'
"At the time, Myles Garrett had been done at $40 million dollars per year, so they understood what they were going to have to do here. And nobody was panicking because the thought was, 'Once we get closer to training camp, that will be the pressure point that eventually gets this done.'"
Garafolo's report that the Steelers weren't 'panicking' is supported by Mike Tomlin's previously unwavering stance on Watt remaining with the team — and there's little evidence to suggest Pittsburgh was ever nervous about a deal not getting done.
Still, it's exciting, to say the least, that both sides can finally put this chapter behind them and focus on training camp — which kicks off next week on July 23, when the Steelers report to Latrobe.
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