Latest news with #TJWatt
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Steelers Aiming to Make T.J. Watt Contract Decision After Rumors Surface
Steelers Aiming to Make T.J. Watt Contract Decision After Rumors Surface originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt has been the heart of the team's defense after being drafted in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Advertisement He's led the NFL in sacks in three seasons, achieved First-Team All-Pro honors four times, and won NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2021. In 2021, Watt tied the NFL record for having the most sacks in a single season (22.5), and he's helped the Steelers have one of the best defenses in the league throughout his career. Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports As the league creeps towards the start of the 2025 season, Watt will be heading into his final year of the four-year, $112 million deal he signed in 2021 and has been looking to ink a new deal with the Steelers. With top NFL edge rushers landing major paydays this offseason – including the Browns' Myles Garrett (four years, $204.8 million) and the Raiders' Maxx Crosby (three years, $106.5 million) – T.J. Watt is expected to land a similar deal. Update on contract extension between Steelers and T.J. Watt Pittsburgh had the opportunity to get the deal done with Watt before other top players in the position agreed to large pay days, but the Steelers have decided to stay patient in the contract extension process. Advertisement An update on the negotiations was released on Monday. "The Steelers have been discussing a new contract with outside linebacker T.J. Watt with the expectation they will come to some agreement with the four-time All-Pro and former NFL Defensive Player of the Year before the start of the regular season," per the Post-Gazette. The Pittsburgh Steelers kick off their regular season on September 7 as they take on the New York Jets. As the team began OTAs last week, it's clear they still have plenty to sort out, including questions at the quarterback position. As time keeps ticking, the Pittsburgh Steelers will have to get a lot of questions answered before the 2025 season begins. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Report: Steelers expect new T.J. Watt deal by start of season
June 3 - The Pittsburgh Steelers are confident that discussions with All-Pro linebacker T.J. Watt will result in a new contract before the start of the season, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on Monday. The newspaper added that a deal may not be completed anytime soon. Watt, 30, is looking for a revision to his deal as he enters the final season of a five-year, $112 million contract that features a guaranteed $80 million. Per the Post-Gazette, the price tag for Watt might have risen when Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett landed the NFL's richest contract for a defensive player in March: four years, $160 million, $123.5 million guaranteed. Watt was selected to the Pro Bowl each of the past seven years, and he made first-time All-Pro in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023. He was the NFL's 2021 Defensive Player of the Year after making a career-high 22.5 sacks. In 2024, Watt led the NFL with six forced fumbles while logging 11.5 sacks, 61 tackles, four passes defended and two fumble recoveries in 17 games. Over his eight-year NFL career, all with the Steelers, Watt has 108 sacks, 462 tackles, 33 forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries, 49 passes defensed and seven interceptions. --Field Level Media
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Major update on Steelers star T.J. Watt's NFL future after huge exit hint
There has been a major update on the future of T.J. Watt, as arguably the Steelers' best player enters the final year of his contract, and he reportedly 'has an offer on the table.' Watt is an indispensable part of the Pittsburgh defense, and his four-year, $112million deal is up at the end of this season. Even while the Steelers figure out who to start at quarterback between Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, or possibly free-agent Aaron Rodgers, making sure they retain Watt may be an even bigger priority. Watt, 30, having a deal on the table from the Steelers was reported by Mark Kaboly, who has covered the team for a long time. Watt is currently absent from Pittsburgh's voluntary offseason workouts as he awaits a new contract. One of the NFL's elite defensive players likely wants to be paid as one, like the $40million annual deals, or higher, received by Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett, and more. Watt stunned fans last month by hinting that he could be exiting the team on social media. Watt posted a photo, without a caption, to his Instagram story of him giving the peace sign, holding two fingers in the air. The sign is slang for goodbye, leaving doubt as to his Steel City future. The Steelers let last year's quarterback duo of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields go in free agency. The team also has not signed a true starting quarterback in free agency, leaving many doubts. Watt will demand huge money no matter where he goes, with Pittsburgh keen to keep the key cog of its roster. In letting Wilson and Fields go, the team should have the resources to get this deal done. Now it is only a matter of what Watt wants.
New York Post
6 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
T.J. Watt absent from Steelers OTAs amid contract drama as brother J.J. turns up pressure
Another star pass rusher wants a raise and is encountering resistance from his team. Steelers All-Pro defensive lineman T.J. Watt is absent from voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) and appears to be sending a message to the front office amid the dispute. Meanwhile, his brother, former defensive stalwart and now CBS broadcaster J.J. Watt, implored the Steelers to take care of his brother during an appearance on 'The Pat McAfee Show.' 3 TJ Watt has clearly outperformed his contract in Pittsburgh. Getty Images 'I've long been a big believer that ownership and front offices obviously treat this as a business, but they do not like it when the players flip the script on them and treat it like a business back,' the ex-NFL star said when asked his brother going into the last year of his contract. 'If you take care of things early, especially when players want to take care of things earlier and say that they'll take less money to take care of things earlier because it sets themselves up long term financially, do that.' While J.J.'s comments don't mention his brother directly being upset with the team, T.J. posted a peace sign to his Instagram account in April, perhaps referencing his unhappiness with his deal. T.J. is entering the final year of a massive four year, $112 million contract, which he has largely outperformed to this point after the Steelers made one of their best picks in 2017 by selecting him at No. 30. 3 JJ Watt talks to Pat McAfee about his brother, TJ Watt's contract. X, @PatMcAfeeShow In the first year of his new deal in 2021, T.J. won Defensive player of the Year and tied Michael Strahan's sack record of 22.5, which had stood untouched since 2002. His contract is just the seventh-most lucrative deal in average salary per year ($28.02 million) among pass rushers, a market that has reset this offseason. Fellow pass rushers like Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby have been rewarded this offseason with new record-setting deals. 3 TJ Watt is surely wondering where his big contract is in Pittsburgh. Getty Images The Steelers also gave their new receiver D.K. Metcalf an extension. Pittsburgh owner Art Rooney II said he wants keep the prized defensive superstar, but the clock is ticking before Watt enters free agency. The team could use the franchise tag, though, to delay the process. 'That's something we want to look at this offseason. T.J. has been one of the foundations of the defense for quite a number of years now,' Rooney said in January, as reported by The Athletic. 'And certainly hope we can have T.J. for the future, beyond this year.' T.J. is not the only AFC North star pass rusher in a contract dispute, as Bengals standout Trey Hendrickson is holding out and said he won't play under his current contract.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
5 big Steelers storylines during OTAs
On Tuesday of this week, the Pittsburgh Steelers will kick off their organized team activities (OTAs), which lead into the team's first mandatory minicamp of the offseason on June 10. Even though OTAs are optional, the expectation with the Steelers has always been that if you are on the team, you show up. The Steelers roster is in such a state of flux right now that we will be keeping a close eye on every move. Here are the five big storylines to watch over the course of OTAs. T.J. Watt's contract Will T.J. Watt show up for optional activities while he waits on a massive contract extension? We expect to see Watt and see him do a "hold-in" similar to what happened during his last contract negotiation. Will Aaron Rodgers make an appearance? No, we don't expect Rodgers to show up before June 10 if at all. But we do want to see how the team's other three quarterbacks respond, knowing the arrival of Rodgers could happen at any time and it's three quarterbacks fighting for two spots on the final 53-man roster. The wide receiver rotation DK Metcalf in the starting lineup is a given. But between the rest of the guys on the roster, namely Robert Woods, Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson, who impresses the most and takes control of the No. 2 spot. New offensive tackles in new spots This will be the first look at Broderick Jones at left tackle and Troy Fautanu at right tackle. Fautanu was supposed to come in last year and help re-energize the offensive line, but a knee injury cost him his entire rookie season. Arthur Smith 2.0 We will continue to hold onto hope that this year's version of the Arthur Smith offense will be less methodical, less predictable and more explosive than last year's version, even if the quarterback position isn't settled. This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers OTAs: 5 big Pittsburgh storylines
