Steelers Now
During a recent appearance on 93.7 The Fan, CBS Sports insider Aditi Kinkhabwala revealed some interesting details on the last time T.J. Watt had a contract dispute with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021. To say the least, thing were heated.
“T.J. Watt was openly told, ‘You’re fortunate to be a Steeler,'” Kinkhabwala said. “And his response was, ‘You’re fortunate to have me.’ The Steelers’ attitude, the Steelers’ mindset — and you see this from so many fans too — is that it is such a privilege to be in this uniform, to wear this helmet, that therefore you should take a hometown discount just because you get to play for one of these cornerstone, trademark organizations.”
Watt ultimately signed a four-year, $112 million deal in 2021 that averaged $28 million per year at the time. The deal wasn’t reached until Sept. 9, four days before the season opener.
Kinkhabwala said there’s a “disconnect” between Watt and the Steelers, similar to what happened in 2021.
NFL insider Jeremy Fowler revealed on ESPN’s Get Up that Watt is miffed 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.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Insider Sheds Light on Steelers’ Past Intense Contract Negotiations with T.J. Watt: ‘You’re Fortunate to Have Me’
