TJ Watt Contract Negotiations With Pittsburgh Steelers Predicted To Get Ugly

The Pittsburgh Steelers and general manager Omar Khan seem to enjoy the waiting game. They're playing it with potential free agent quarterback Aaron Rodriguez and with one of their own stars, TJ Watt.

Watt is entering the final year of his current deal and seeking an extension, and he's absolutely earned it. In fact, he's earned the opportunity to be one of the highest-paid players at his position. 

Because the Steelers didn't lock Watt down earlier, they're most likely going to pay a lot more. That's the nature of the business of the game. The Cleveland Browns reset the market for pass rushers with a four-year, $160 million contract for Myles Garrett in early March.

Ray Fittipaldo of the Post-Gazette thinks that's going to be a problem.

“Unfortunately for the Steelers the Browns set the market," Fittipaldo wrote. "It’s not really a matter of whether he’s worth it or not. It’s the business side of football. You can make an argument many of the top-paid QBs aren’t worth the money they make, but the market is set. Either you pay or you move on to another player. And I just don’t see the Steelers moving on from Watt unless the negotiation gets really ugly."

Watt is currently making an average of just over $28 million per year, seventh-most at his position. Garrett signed for an average of $40 million, tops among pass rushers.

The Steelers are going to have to come close to that or exceed it to keep Watt, or there's a chance some other team will before the 2026 season.