Steelers Now
On Thursday, Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt become the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history for the second time in his Hall of Fame career, reaching agreement on a three-year, $123 million extension that includes $108 million fully guaranteed at signing, according to ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Network provided some in-depth details on how the Steelers reached the record-breaking deal with their star pass rusher.
“I remember talking to people in the [Steelers] building then, and I mentioned this on The Insiders, they said, ‘Look, [Watt] probably just doesn’t want to come to minicamp. Like, he’ll be here for training camp because we feel really good about the offer we put out there right now. It is right there at the top of the market,'” Garafolo said on The Insiders.
“At the time, Myles Garrett had been done at $40 million dollars per year, so they understood what they were going to have to do here. And nobody was panicking because the thought was, ‘Once we get closer to training camp, that will be the pressure point that eventually gets this done.'”
From The Insiders on @nflnetwork: From T.J. Watt’s ✌🏼 pic to the 💪🏼 shot today, the #Steelers stayed calm and confident a contract extension would get done. And it did. pic.twitter.com/X05KtYbeOa
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 17, 2025
According to OvertheCap.com, Watt’s $108 million in guarantees run all the way through 2027. In 2025, he will have a $23.3 million cap hit, which saves the team $7.05 million. Watt will count $42 million against the cap in 2026 and 2027.
Watt, who will average $41 million per year, once again tops Cleveland Browns’ edge rusher Myles Garrett as the highest-paid non-QB. Garrett was just made the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history earlier this offseason.
No player has recorded more sacks over the last five seasons than Watt, who has 73.5 during that span. In one-score games since 2021, Watt ranks first in sacks (43), forced fumbles (12) and batted passes (14), according to Pro Football Focus.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Insider Reveals Details on How Steelers Reached Historic Deal with T.J. Watt
