Steelers Now
NFL insider Jeremy Fowler revealed on ESPN’s Get Up that Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro edge rusher T.J. Watt is miffed that the organization is giving other players pay increases. He’s wondering when will he get his share.
“So Watt appears to be unhappy with the fact that look, you’re bringing in all these other players,” Fowler said. “You’re bringing in these veterans, and you’re paying DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey’s big salary. That could be money allocated to me.”
All-Pro wide receiver DK Metcalf got a five-year, $130 million contract from the Steelers this offseaosn, and he’s never played for the team before. Newly acquired players Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith also got pay increases in the blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins on Monday.
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Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk revealed if the Steelers can’t resolve the issue soon, Watt could look to make things ugly.
“The problem is that the two sides are, we’re told, nowhere close on a new deal,” Florio wrote. “Watt, one of the very best defensive players is the game, is ready for any outcome and not afraid to push the issue.”
The Steelers are working hard to get a deal done, but it’s a complex situation.
“I talked to a source with the team,” Fowler said. “They said, look, we’re working on it, we’re working on this deal. We want to resign T.J. Watt. They want him to be a Steeler legacy player and to get something done.
“He will most likely be the highest-paid edge rusher in the entire league once that happens. But as was cautioned to me, these are hard deals to do. They take a lot of time to do, especially with this level of money.”
NFL insider James Palmer believes there’s a good chance Watt will surpass AFC North rival Myles Garrett’s record-breaking deal.
“I’m hearing there’s a chance Watt gets past $40 [million per season],” Palmer said on Bleacher Report’s NFL Insider Notebook. “He has every right to ask for it. I’ve talked on here a lot about the comparisons between him and Myles Garrett. The numbers are almost identical in every aspect in terms of superlatives and in terms of numbers, and they came in the same draft class. I mean, he has every right to try to get that.”
The Browns made Garrett the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history this offseason by giving him a contract extension that pays him $40 million per year. Meanwhile, Watt is scheduled to earn just $21.05 million in salary in 2025, none of which is guaranteed.
Watt is coming off the least-productive full season of his NFL career, but he still proved to be a difference maker while recording 11.5 sacks and a league-leading six forced fumbles.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network hasn’t got an indication that Watt will surpass Garrett.
“I still believe it’s gonna work out. But I hadn’t heard that number,” Rapoport said. “And I...
