Current contract: As a first-round draft pick, T.J. Watt initially signed a four-year, fully guaranteed $9.2M rookie deal in 2017. His $10M fifth-year option, also fully guaranteed, was exercised by the Steelers a year ago. He's now in the final year of his rookie contract.
What Watt wants: Watt's new contract could -- and probably should -- reset the market for outside linebackers/edge rushers. After leading the league in sacks a year ago and finishing as the runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year, Watt, 26, should command a total contract that outpaces Joey Bosa's five-year, $135M extension and Myles Garrett's five-year, $125M extension with $100M in guarantees. Since he was drafted in 2017, Watt has racked up 49.5 sacks, 17 forced fumbles and four interceptions en route to three Pro Bowl nods and two All-Pro selections. As one of the NFL's most formidable pass-rushers with production well above that of Garrett and Bosa and a cornerstone in the Steelers' defense, Watt's new contract should reach an annual compensation of $30M/year.
Prediction: Steelers team owner and president Art Rooney II has been mum about completing Watt's deal, and coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday the negotiations will run their course. The Steelers have a long-standing policy of not negotiating contracts during the season, giving them a month to ink Watt to a long-term deal. A year ago, the organization locked up Cameron Heyward through 2025 a week before the season opened. The Steelers will get it done with Watt, especially considering they're flush with cap space beginning in 2022. After losing Bud Dupree in free agency, Watt is the unquestioned leader of the pass rush -- and the defense as a whole -- and keeping him around for the long haul is the team's No. 1 priority before the season opener against the Buffalo Bills. Until the pen hits the paper, though, Watt will continue to show up at practice, work in some individual drills and do the rest of his conditioning off to the side. -- Brooke Pryor
