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On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Steelers helped solidify their defensive line for years to come by signing superstar T.J. Watt to a three-year, $123 million deal that will make him the highest-paid non quarterback in NFL history, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. The deal includes $108 million in guaranteed money and will reset the market for how defensive line stars are paid moving forward.
One person who was thrilled for Watt was none other than his brother, former Houston Texans star J.J. Watt, who took to his account on X, formerly Twitter, with a simple message.
“Earned. Deserved. Incredible,” wrote Watt.
The Watt signing is just the latest move in what has been a busy offseason thus far for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh signed arguably the biggest name on the quarterback free agent market by agreeing to terms with future Hall of Famer and former league MVP Aaron Rodgers, which occurred after the team had acquired wide receiver DK Metcalf.
The team also traded away George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys and brought in star cornerback Jalen Ramsey from the Miami Dolphins.
The message from all of these moves is clear: the Steelers are going all-in on trying to compete for a championship in 2025-26.
Whether they are able to legitimately do so is a different question. The sheer age of many of the Steelers’ star players will make injury concerns a natural risk, and the team did lose a lot of talent in various trades this offseason, including both Pickens and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Still, Mike Tomlin has arguably been held back over the last few years by a lack of talent on his roster, and that should no longer be a problem this season.
The Steelers’ 2025 campaign is slated to start in early September with a road date against Rodgers’ former team, the New York Jets.
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