T.J. Watt will likely become the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history when he is ultimately extended. It will also be the biggest contract ever given out by the Steelers, who haven’t had a top quarterback in a number of years now. With these types of contracts, the devil is in the details, and some of those details are holding up the deal from getting done.
“I think that the issue there right now would seem to be the length of the years in the contract,” ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter said this morning via Unsportsmanlike. “Again, Trey Hendrickson and T.J. Watt, they want more years. The team wants to give them fewer years. Both players are in their 30s, so for the players, it’s about getting as much guaranteed money as you can over a longer period of time.”
Watt will turn 31 this season. Giving him another four-year extension like they did in 2021 probably isn’t in the Steelers’ best interest. Not everybody can be Cameron Heyward and age gracefully to win All-Pro honors at 35 years old.
Heyward’s game is predicated on power and technique, which is a big reason he is still able to perform at a high level. Watt has power and plenty of technique, but speed and explosiveness are also a large part of his game. If that starts to fade, will his 15-sack seasons start to turn into seven- or eight-sack seasons? And would that be worth $40 million per season until he’s 35?
From Watt’s perspective, this could very well be his final contract. It makes sense for him to seek as much security as possible. Money is obviously important but guarantees give the player more control over how their career ends. If the Steelers gave him a four-year extension but were able to get out of the deal after one or two seasons without additional guarantees, then Watt could be put into early retirement or risk having to leave the organization for the last year or two of his career.
All that said, Schefter seems optimistic about a deal eventually getting done.
“Pittsburgh is more intent upon keeping T.J. Watt than Cincinnati is with Trey Hendrickson,” Schefter said. “I think Pittsburgh and T.J. Watt somehow will figure out a way. Best I could tell, they haven’t gotten close recently, but we’ll see if they can figure out a way to get that done by the time camp begins.”
Jeremy Fowler also gave an insider update yesterday via Get Up and pointed to guaranteed money as a sticking point.
Watt had guaranteed money through three years, including the year with the signing bonus in 2021, in his last contract. It would stand to reason that he is looking for a similar deal with four years tacked on and three of those five years having considerable guarantees.
We keep hearing that the two sides aren’t close, yet everybody seems to remain optimistic it will eventually work out. At some point that could take a turn for the worse if they don’t make progress by the start of camp. Especially if Watt decides to hold out.