Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to pay outside linebacker T.J. Watt around $40 million per year on a new contract this offseason, and that should be surprising to absolutely no one. It certainly won’t be to the Steelers.
For whatever reason, the idea of paying an edge rusher that amount of money has some Steelers fans up in arms — even to the point of suggesting the absolutely insane idea of trading one of the best defensive players in all of football. We’ll get there in a second.
Let’s start with the salary.
Yes, Watt is worth $40 million. So was Myles Garrett. It sounds like a like a lot of money. It really isn’t. Your brains just haven’t adjusted for NFL inflation.
In 2021, Watt signed a five-year, $112 million contract with an average annual value of just over $28 million. In 2021, the NFL salary cap was $182.5 million. Watt’s AAV was just over 15% of the salary cap.
In 2023, Nick Bosa signed a six-year, $170 million contract with an average annual value of $34 million. In 2023, the NFL salary cap was $224.8 million. Bosa’s AAV was again just over 15% of the salary cap.
Garrett’s new deal is a four-year, $160 million contract with an average annual value of $40 million. The current NFL salary cap is $279.2 million. Cleveland is getting Garrett for 14.3% of the salary cap.
The contract the Browns signed Garrett to isn’t some kind of massive jump from before. If anything, it’s a bargain. And it’s right in the line with the rest of the market. Danielle Hunter and Maxx Crosby — players nowhere near the caliber of Garrett, Bosa and Watt — both signed for AAVs over $35 million this offseason.
No one I’ve talked to in football has been surprised at the contract amount Garrett got, and the expectation is that Watt will be right alongside him. If Micah Parsons gets a new deal, it’ll probably be for more.
If the Steelers just took Watt’s previous deal and repeated while factoring in the inflation of the salary cap, he’d be worth almost $43 million per season.
Yes, Watt is now 30 years old, and the length of the contract at that price might be an issue, but remember — he had his best season after signing that deal. The player the Steelers agreed to that last contract with had never been NFL Defensive Player of the Year and had was not the NFL co-leader in sacks per season. Watt’s 2023 season was better than all of the ones that had come before, as well.
So yes, he’s older — and has missed more time due to injury — but he’s also played better football than he ever had before that last deal.
Maybe the Steelers shouldn’t want Watt at $40 million per year for five years, given his age and recent injury history, but he’s certainly worth that sticker price. The Steelers certainly don’t have any sticker shock...
