Steelers Now
Adam Schefter revealed on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday afternoon that he would be surprised if the Pittsburgh Steelers gave T.J. Watt a deal that tops Myles Garrett’s, which is $40 million per year.
That could be the hold up in Watt’s negotiations with the Steelers. Watt has better stats in almost every major statistical category than Garrett. Watt and his agent surely are making that point to the Steelers brass.
“i don’t know that he’s gonna get more than Myles Garrett,” Schefter said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I think T.J. Watt’s gonna get a nice, strong, healthy deal and I think at some point in time the two sides will be able to figure out a way to get this done. I can’t imagine that T.J. Watt wouldn’t be there for the start of training camp, that Pittsburgh will not get a deal done. We heard Mike Tomlin last week at mandatory minicamp say that both sides are working to make it happen. But T.J. Watt is serious here. He’s seen all the money that’s gone around, and he wants to make sure that he gets rewarded in the appropriate way.”
Micah Parsons and Trey Hendrickson are two big-time edge rushers awaiting new deals, as well. Schefter believes Parsons will be become the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL history.
“I think Myles Garrett is in his own class. Like, Micah Parsons is four years younger I believe than Myles Garret and had more quarterback pressures, more wins against opposing offensive lineman. And Myles Garrett is a Hall of Fame defensive end, Hall of Fame pass rusher. But Micah Parsons had numbers that beat his and he’s four years younger. That’s why I think Micah is gonna be the highest-paid defensive player. T.J. Watt’s gonna get a really, really strong deal, but I don’t know exactly where it’s gonna come in. I think I’d be surprised if it was higher than Myles Garrett,” Schefter said.
"TJ Watt is gonna get a strong deal from the Pittsburgh Steelers..
Both sides are working to make it happen and TJ wants to make sure that he gets rewarded in an appropriate way" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/bRtjYZTIg6
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 18, 2025
In regard to T.J. Watt skipping mandatory minicamp due to a contract dispute, former Steelers cornerback and Hall of Famer Rod Woodson thinks the Steelers need to change their philosophy on how they structure contracts. He thinks the approach is outdated.
“The Steelers, when you have an existing contract, they normally tear it up and redo another contract for you,” Woodson said on Up & Adams with Kay Adams. “But what I would say to the Steelers is times are changing. When you have a guy like T.J. Watt, you want to keep him happy because not only is he the leader on the field and off the field, but you’re showing the rest of the players in the locker room how you...
