{"id":30067,"date":"2025-05-07T03:51:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T03:51:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/30067\/"},"modified":"2025-05-07T03:51:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T03:51:09","slug":"pay-the-man-former-nfl-gm-thinks-steelers-should-give-t-j-watt-new-contract-or-someone-else-will","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/30067\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Pay The Man:’ Former NFL GM Thinks Steelers Should Give T.J. Watt New Contract Or ‘Someone Else Will’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Right now, quarterback looks like the biggest question for the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, it isn\u2019t their only issue. T.J. Watt\u2019s contract is also a piece of business the Steelers need to attend to. Watt only has one year remaining on his current deal, and he\u2019s looking for an extension.<\/a> While many of his peers have been paid this offseason, Watt still doesn\u2019t have a new deal. Former NFL general manager Ran Carthon thinks Pittsburgh should change that immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they don\u2019t, someone else will,\u201d Carthon said Tuesday on the podcast With the First Pick.<\/a> \u201cIn short, pay the man. Just pay him. He is what you think of when you think of the Pittsburgh Steelers in this era of Pittsburgh Steelers football. He is an absolute dog.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you talk about needing a play to end a game, to end a drive, you know that Trent Jordan Watt is gonna go make that play for you. I\u2019ll say pay him. It makes too much sense not to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carthon hit the nail right on the head. Watt has been the face of the Steelers for the past few years. He\u2019s been their best player, winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2021. While he wasn\u2019t as dominant in 2024, he was still one of the best players in the league.<\/p>\n

However, there are some precedents that the Steelers don\u2019t tend to break in contract negotiations. One of those has to do with when they give out contract extensions. Usually, Pittsburgh doesn\u2019t extend its players until they\u2019re in the final year of their current deals. They also tend to wait until later in the summer to hammer out those deals, with Watt\u2019s previous deal getting done in September of 2021.<\/p>\n

Pat Freiermuth last year is a<\/a> great example. The 2024 season was the final year left on Freiermuth\u2019s rookie deal. Throughout the offseason, there were rumors that the Steelers were trying to work out a contract extension for him. However, no deal was officially done until September, two days before the Steelers played their first regular-season game of the year.<\/p>\n

Now, whether that way of doing business is right or wrong is up for interpretation. However, with Watt, the Steelers might\u2019ve been better off breaking their precedents. Playing the waiting game might have<\/a> resulted in Watt\u2019s price tag going up.<\/p>\n

Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby, two players on a level similar to Watt\u2019s, received huge new contracts this offseason. That likely gives Watt more leverage to ask for more money on his next deal. If the Steelers had been quicker to get a deal done, they might\u2019ve saved some money.<\/p>\n

Watt is the kind of player who should warrant breaking precedents, too. He\u2019s been the perfect pro since the Steelers drafted him. In eight seasons, he\u2019s become one of the greatest players in the franchise\u2019s history, even being their all-time sack leader.<\/p>\n

Watt is a captain, the best player on the team, and one of the best players in the NFL. Yes, he\u2019ll turn 31 this year, but he\u2019s still more than deserving of a new contract.<\/a> Carthon is right. Pay the man.<\/p>\n