2 days after Steelers sign Aaron Rodgers, insider provides update on TJ Watt's contract status

TJ Watt is still waiting to discuss a new contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The edge defender recently skipped OTAs to pressure the team into giving him a long-term deal. Entering his ninth season, he hopes to land a final big contract.

Watt is set to have a base salary of $21 million in the 2025 season. The edge market, however, reached new heights during the offseason, with mega extensions coming for Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby. Any extension for Watt will likely see his average salary go north of $35 million.

But the lack of movement on that front could be concerning for Steelers fans. On Monday, NFL insider Ian Rapoport provided an update on Watt's situation.

"I don't get the sense it'll be immediate," he said on The Pat McAfee Show. "These things take time. I mean, this is the next big deal for the Steelers to do. I believe they'll get to a number everyone can be happy with. It just hasn't happened yet. While the edge might have such a great play, a lot of it is in flux, with Trey Hendrickson and Micah Parsons not done. This is another one that we're kind of waiting on."

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The Steelers solved their quarterback conundrum by signing veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a one-year, $13.5 million contract with a maximum value of $19.5 million.

JJ Watt supports his brother TJ Watt's absence from OTAs

JJ Watt was one of the league's most dominant defenders over the past decade, and his younger brother has followed in his footsteps. In a recent appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," he defended players' rights to fight for their contracts:

"I've long been a big believer that ownership and front offices treat this like a business, but they do not like it when the players flip the script on them and treat it like business back.

"Taking care of your guys earlier does a few things for you. Number one, it gets them locked in at a lower price in the long run. I mean, you look at what prices are doing every single year — you get them locked in at a lower price. Number two, you’re keeping them happy."

JJ played for the Houston Texans from 2011 to 2020. He ended his career following a two-year stint with the Arizona Cardinals.

About the author

Henrique Bulio is an NFL and College Football journalist at Sportskeeda and the Editor-in-Chief of Pro Football Brasil. He has a total 13 years of experience working in American Football, and playing quarterback at an amateur level in Brazil has given him a unique perspective of the game.

Henrique follows the Philadelphia Eagles closely due to Michael Vick's historic performance on MNF against the Washington Commanders in 2010. His all-time favorite player is Ed Reed; he believes that Reed is the greatest safety to ever play the game. Bill Belichick gets the nod as Henrique's favorite coach for coaching the Patriots to glory over two decades.

If Henrique were to be able to go back in time and watch one game, it would be Super Bowl XLIX, where the Patriots and the Seahawks played a complete, back-and-forth game that concluded with one of the biggest talking points in NFL history.

Technical deep dives are Henrique’s specialty, and he ensures never to use misleading words in his articles, since he himself consumes a lot of information off the web. He has had the privilege of interviewing Cairo Santos, Lamar Jackson, Jim Harbaugh, Sean McDermott, Bruce Arians, Matt LaFleur, among others.

Aside from football, Henrique likes to play poker and Counter-Strike.

Know More

Steelers Fans! Check out the latest Pittsburgh Steelers Schedule and dive into the Steelers Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Alvin Amansec