Last July, the Pittsburgh Steelers made T.J. Watt the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league with a new contract extension. He\u2019s since been surpassed in that regard. But the Steelers gave Watt a massive payday, expecting him to continue to be a defensive cornerstone.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, Watt\u2019s seven-sack campaign didn\u2019t live up to those expectations. However, beat writer Ray Fittipaldo is expecting better in 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the days of Watt getting 18-22 sacks a season are gone, but I would not be surprised at all if he rebounded with a double-digit sack season. I do think a new voice and a new way of doing things can spark something in the pass rush,\u201d Fittipaldo wrote during his Pittsburgh Post-Gazette readers chat.<\/a> \u201cIt wasn\u2019t terrible last season, but the sack numbers were down overall compared to what they were in previous years. He\u2019s 32 years old. He\u2019s not going to be the player he was at 27, but I still think he\u2019s one of the best edge rushers in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n Disregarding the 2022 season in which he missed seven games due to injury, Watt\u2019s seven sacks in 2025 were his lowest total since his rookie season. And on paper, it signals a decline<\/a> which spans a couple of years now. In 2023, he led the league with 19 sacks. That total dropped to 11.5 in 2024, before dropping even further in 2025. While his 10 tackles for a loss were solid in 2025, that was also a step down from 19 the year prior.<\/p>\n That said, there were some things that weren\u2019t his fault. Any late-season momentum he had was killed by a freak lung injury, sidelining him for three games. And the schematic issues were evident across the entire Steelers defense.<\/p>\n The Steelers hope a new voice in the building can inject some more life into Watt. Patrick Graham figures to be much more creative than Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin were last year, a reason for optimism. Turning 32 this season, the Steelers may need to try some different things with the veteran moving forward.<\/p>\n His 2025 season didn\u2019t live up to the contract extension he signed prior to it. It\u2019s also complicating things at the position. Watt doesn\u2019t have a ton of trade value at this point. And his presence makes things more difficult for the Steelers to get Nick Herbig on the field.<\/p>\n