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The Pittsburgh Steelers are ready to compete ahead of a crucial 2025 season. Pittsburgh’s epic streak of winning seasons is still alive, but could go up in smoke later this fall. Hopefully the addition of QB Aaron Rodgers, and a new contract for T.J. Watt, will help the Steelers get back to the playoffs in 2025.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler released an article on Wednesday ranking the top 10 edge rushers in the NFL. Fowler surveyed NFL executives, scouts, and coaches to come up with his ranking list.
Steelers fans won’t be surprised to learn that T.J. Watt ranked second on Fowler’s list. He was behind only Browns superstar Myles Garrett. This is the second the second consecutive year that Watt finished in second behind Garrett.
Fowler noted that Watt’s 108 career sacks are third all time for a player’s first eight seasons. The only players better were DeMarcus Ware (111) and Reggie White (124).
“He’s still the gold standard for me,” a veteran AFC defensive coach said. “He completely wrecks a game and he can do everything.”
Watt slowed down towards the end of the 2024 season. But he is still regarded as one of the best in the NFL.
“I thought he wore down a little bit,” an NFL coordinator said about Watt’s late-season clip. “But their whole defense did. I think they just got tired, and the struggles on offense could have played a role.”
The Steelers added Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay to their secondary this offseason. That should help Watt get after the passer.
The Steelers need to pay T.J. Watt.
Watt has been in a contract dispute with the team for the entire offseason. He is seeking a contract extension that will put him among the highest-paid edge rushers in the NFL.
Once again, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler gave an update on Watt’s contract negotiations.
“I talked to somebody with the team who said, ‘Look, these are complicated deals to do, but we are working on it. We want T.J. Watt here,’” Fowler said on SportsCenter last week.
This is a good update because it confirms that Watt’s representation and the Steelers are still in dialogue about an extension. It seems they are just ironing out the details.
“It’s guaranteed money, and it’s term length,” Fowler explained. “A lot of the details, they get sticky this time of year, especially as you’re leading up to training camp.”
Hopefully Watt has a new contract when NFL training camps begin later this month.
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