Steelers' T.J. Watt gets $41 million contract update

The Pittsburgh Steelers don't have much choice but to pay T.J. Watt.

And the superstar edge rusher's value has already been determined by the market.

The Browns signed Myles Garrett to a contract extension worth a defensive record-setting $40 million per year, agreeing on the deal earlier this offseason.

Watt's agent will certainly be seeking a step above that money to set a new record.

"Back in 2021, Watt and the Steelers agreed to a $112 million extension that made him the NFL's highest-paid defensive player at the time," CBS Sports NFL writer Tyler Sullivan wrote recently. "Now, the star pass rusher is entering the final year of that deal and could again look to reset the market. If he were to land such a deal, it'd have to exceed Myles Garrett's $40 million AAV. Watt's current AAV sits at roughly $28 million, so this would be quite the raise for the 30-year-old. That said, he deserves it. Since signing that deal, Watt has won the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award, added three more All-Pro nominations to his résumé and is coming off a 2024 season where he posted 11.5 sacks and a league-leading six forced fumbles."

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Those numbers speak for themselves.

Watt is also the face of the Pittsburgh franchise, a role he has held essentially since Ben Roethlisberger's retirement.

The Steelers couldn't get away with trading Watt. Their fanbase would be up in arms.

He's meant to be a lifelong Steelers player, and he'll soon enough have one more contract to prove it.

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