Behind the Steel Curtain
With his new contract, Watt continues to cement himself as one of the best players of his generation.
While the last month of the 2024 season may have left a sour taste in the mouth of Pittsburgh Steelers fans, there is plenty to be excited about in 2025.
Training camp kicks off next week in Latrobe for the Steelers and all of their stars, including T.J. Watt. The former Defensive Player of the Year is fresh off signing a record-breaking three-year, $123 million extension with $108 million fully guaranteed at signing. This is the second time in his career that Watt has been the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, and his play certainly reflects that as the Steelers are just 1-11 all-time without Watt in the lineup.
Pro Football Focus ranked their top 50 players in the NFL going into 2025, and Watt was placed inside the top 10.
Dalton Wasserman and Trevor Sikkema’s list ranked Watt as the 10th-best player in the entire league heading into the season.
Wasserman and Sikkema wrote, “Watt’s rare consistency and game-changing versatility make him one of the NFL’s elite defenders. In 2024, he earned a 92.3 PFF grade — second only to Myles Garrett among players with 300-plus snaps — and was the league’s only defensive lineman to post 90.0-plus grades in both pass rushing and run defense. Since 2019, Watt ranks as the second-most valuable edge defender, per PFF WAR. As the heartbeat of Pittsburgh’s defense, he shows no signs of slowing down heading into 2025.”
The Steelers’ edge rusher was not the only Steeler to be mentioned on the list, as his fellow defensive lineman Cam Heyward came in at number 30.
