Steelers/NFL
T.J. Watt is officially the highest-paid-non-quarterback in NFL history, agreeing to a 3 year, $123 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Amist all the chatter of Watt being unhappy and the Steelers gauging his trade value, Watt lands his coveted $41 Million a year AAV. As great as Watt is and without question will go down as one of the Steelers All-Time great Linebackers, one of the burning questions is, are the Steelers paying $40 million + a year for past performance?
Watt, 30, who turns 31 in October, had a down 2024 season by his standards, finishing with 60 tackles and 11.5 sacks. Health is also something to keep eye on moving forward as he ages into his early 30’s. Watt went the final four games without a sack, including a 0-0 line (Tackles/Sacks) in the Steelers blowout playoff loss to Baltimore. Whether he lives up to the contract is truly going to come down to playoff sacks. He’s going to get his 10+ sacks even if he takes a slight step back. The blemish on his resume is no impact and success in the postseason. The Steelers as crazy as it have no playoff wins with Watt on the roster. Everything about this massive extension is going to come down to
Week 2 What We Learned: Familiar scene where scheme issues on both sides of the ball loom large