07/17/25 06:20:00
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07/17 18:18 CDT The Pittsburgh Steelers make star linebacker T.J. Watt the
NFL's highest-paid defender
The Pittsburgh Steelers make star linebacker T.J. Watt the NFL's highest-paid
defender
By WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) --- T.J. Watt has wanted to be a "one-helmet guy" from the
second he arrived in Pittsburgh eight years ago.
The star outside linebacker took one big step toward that goal on Thursday,
agreeing to a new pact that will make him the league's highest-paid defender
and keep the perennial All-Pro in black-and gold well into his 30s.
Watt, who was entering the final season of the four-year extension he signed in
2021, is scheduled to make $123 million over the course of the three-year
agreement, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The
person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract had not
yet been made public.
ESPN first reported the extension.
Watt appeared to celebrate by making a rare Instagram post on Thursday
afternoon, sharing a picture of him flexing in his signature No. 90 jersey.
Watt also posted a photo in his Instagram stories of him posing alongside
protg and third-year Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig.
The agreement's average annual value of $41 million eclipses the previous
record contract for a defender set by Cleveland defensive lineman and reigning
NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett in March.
The annual average salary is also tick above what Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr
Chase received when he (briefly) became the league's highest-paid
non-quarterback a few days after Garrett agreed to terms with the Browns.
The fact that Watt's extension is worth 2.5% more per season than Garrett's
(whose overall total value of $204 million is still higher than Watt's) is not
a coincidence. Watt, the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year and a four-time
All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler, has long believed he is the best edge rusher
in the NFL.
For the second time in four years, he's being paid like it, though he might not
hold the distinction of being the league's highest-paid defender for long.
Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons is also due for an extension that ---
given Parsons' age (26) and the league's ever-rising salary cap --- figures to
set the bar even higher.
Watt, who turns 31 in November, took the unusual step of skipping mandatory
minicamp last month in hopes of putting pressure on Pittsburgh's front office
to get something done. Head coach Mike Tomlin brushed off Watt's absence,
saying it was only a matter of time before things worked themselves out.
The timing couldn't be better. The new-look Steelers --- now led by quarterback
Aaron Rodgers --- report to training camp at Saint Vincent College next
Wednesday.
They'll do it with a familiar face in tow. Watt, who tied an NFL record by
racking up 22 1/2 sacks in 2021, is the linchpin of a defense that will be
relied on heavily if the Steelers want to end a playoff drought that stretches
to the 2016 AFC Championship, a few months before the Steelers selected Watt
with the 30th overall pick in the 2017 draft.
While Watt is putting together a Hall-of-Fame worthy resume, the one thing he
is lacking is any sort of postseason success. Watt's singular brilliance has
helped keep the Steelers competitive during his tenure, Pittsburgh is winless
in the postseason with Watt in the lineup, most of them losses in which the
defense has struggled.
Watt, who has 108 sacks in 121 regular-season games, has just one in four
playoff appearances.
The Steelers are taking a flyer on 2025 --- signing Rodgers and trading for
veteran defensive back Jalen Ramsey, among other notable moves --- and are
intent on trying to find their next franchise quarterback in the 2026 draft,
which just so happens to be taking place in Pittsburgh.
The lack of star power under center, however, has given the team the financial
flexibility to take care of Watt now, hoping he can remain an impact player
into his mid-30s in the same way longtime teammate Cam Heyward has done.
___
AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
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