NFL teams have given out some massive contracts over the last few months, but once of the more impressive aspects of the offseason has been the explosion of the pass-rushing market.
Since the end of the 2024 season, the Cleveland Browns gave Myles Garrett a four-year, $160 million deal, the Las Vegas Raiders paid $94 million over four years and Danielle Hunter inked a one-year, $35.6 million extension with the Houston Texans.
With those three now the three highest paid edge rushers in the league, other teams, like the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have yet to pay their stars, like T.J. Watt, will have to shell out even more if they want to retain the talent.
While Watt is entering the final year of his four-year, $112 million extension signed in 2021, he's made it clear that he's looking for another new deal.
To this point, the two sides have been unable to come to an agreement on the terms of a new contract, but fellow Steelers edge rusher Alex Smith believes they'll sign soon.
“I’ve been catching up with him all offseason. He really wants to be here," Highsmith said (via Aaron Becker). I’m very confident they’re going to get a deal done.”
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Watt has been one of the most dominant pass rushers in the league since entering as a first-round pick (No. 30 overall) out of Wisconsin in the 2017 NFL draft.
He's won the league's Defensive Player of the Year Award once while making seven Pro Bowls and six All-Pro teams. He's also recorded 462 tackles (126 for a loss), 225 quarterback hits, 108 sacks, 49 passes defensed, 33 forced fumbles, 12 fumbles recovered and seven interceptions in 121 career games.
In fact, Watt has been so good that no player in the NFL has recorded more sacks or forced more fumbles than he has since he was drafted.
If Pittsburgh wants to be the best version of themselves for the foreseeable future, they need to lock Watt up long-term. If not, he'll certainly improve another team's defense immediately.
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