The Pittsburgh Steelers make star
linebacker T.J. Watt the NFL's highest-paid defender
[July 18, 2025]
By WILL GRAVES
PITTSBURGH (AP) — T.J. Watt has wanted to be a “one-helmet guy” from
the second he arrived in Pittsburgh eight years ago.
The star outside linebacker took one big step toward that goal on
Thursday, agreeing to a new pact that will make him the league's
highest-paid defender and keep the perennial All-Pro in black-and
gold well into his 30s.
Watt, who was entering the final season of the four-year extension
he signed in 2021, is scheduled to make $123 million over the course
of the three-year agreement, a person with knowledge of the deal
told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition
of anonymity because the contract had not yet been made public.
ESPN first reported the extension.
Watt appeared to celebrate by making a rare Instagram post on
Thursday afternoon, sharing a picture of him flexing in his
signature No. 90 jersey. Watt also posted a photo in his Instagram
stories of him posing alongside protégé and third-year Steelers
outside linebacker Nick Herbig.
The agreement's average annual value of $41 million eclipses the
previous record contract for a defender set by Cleveland defensive
lineman and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett
in March.
The annual average salary is also tick above what Bengals wide
receiver Ja’Marr Chase received when he (briefly) became the
league’s highest-paid non-quarterback a few days after Garrett
agreed to terms with the Browns.
The fact that Watt’s extension is worth 2.5% more per season than
Garrett’s (whose overall total value of $204 million is still higher
than Watt’s) is not a coincidence. Watt, the 2021 Defensive Player
of the Year and a four-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler, has
long believed he is the best edge rusher in the NFL.
For the second time in four years, he’s being paid like it, though
he might not hold the distinction of being the league's highest-paid
defender for long. Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons is also
due for an extension that — given Parsons' age (26) and the league's
ever-rising salary cap — figures to set the bar even higher.
Watt, who turns 31 in November, took the unusual step of skipping
mandatory minicamp last month in hopes of putting pressure on
Pittsburgh’s front office to get something done. Head coach Mike
Tomlin brushed off Watt’s absence, saying it was only a matter of
time before things worked themselves out.
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Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) in action during the
first half of an NFL wild card playoff football game against the
Baltimore Ravens, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP
Photo/Terrance Williams, File)
The timing couldn’t be better. The new-look
Steelers — now led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers — report to training
camp at Saint Vincent College next Wednesday.
They’ll do it with a familiar face in tow. Watt, who tied an NFL
record by racking up 22 1/2 sacks in 2021, is the linchpin of a
defense that will be relied on heavily if the Steelers want to end a
playoff drought that stretches to the 2016 AFC Championship, a few
months before the Steelers selected Watt with the 30th overall pick
in the 2017 draft.
While Watt is putting together a Hall-of-Fame worthy resume, the one
thing he is lacking is any sort of postseason success. Watt's
singular brilliance has helped keep the Steelers competitive during
his tenure, Pittsburgh is winless in the postseason with Watt in the
lineup, most of them losses in which the defense has struggled.
Watt, who has 108 sacks in 121 regular-season games, has just one in
four playoff appearances.
The Steelers are taking a flyer on 2025 — signing Rodgers and
trading for veteran defensive back Jalen Ramsey, among other notable
moves — and are intent on trying to find their next franchise
quarterback in the 2026 draft, which just so happens to be taking
place in Pittsburgh.
The lack of star power under center, however, has given the team the
financial flexibility to take care of Watt now, hoping he can remain
an impact player into his mid-30s in the same way longtime teammate
Cam Heyward has done.
___
AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.
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