T.J. Watt has agreed to a three-year, $123 million extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Thursday. He will reportedly receive $108 million fully guaranteed at signing.
The contract was agreed upon just days before Steelers players report to training camp on July 23. Watt skipped voluntary and mandatory minicamps this spring as the two sides worked on the new deal.
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Watt appears to have confirmed the deal, sharing the following on Instagram as the news broke:
His brother, former NFL defensive superstar JJ Watt, endorsed the deal:
Watt, 30, has played his entire eight-season NFL career with the Steelers, who selected him in the first round with the No. 30 pick in the 2017 draft. Watt has paid off handsomely on Pittsburgh’s investment.
Watt recorded seven sacks as a rookie and has made the Pro Bowl in each of his seven seasons since. He’s a five-time All-Pro with four selections to the first team. He was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and has finished in the top four of voting for the award five times.
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Watt has led the league in sacks three times, including his career high tally of 22.5 in 2021, which is tied with Michael Strahan for the most sacks in a single season in NFL history. His career sack tally stands at 108 for an average of 13.5 per season.
Watt also has 225 career quarterback hits, 7 interceptions, 49 passes defended, 12 fumble recoveries and 33 forced fumbles. He’s led the league in forced fumbles twice.
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Can Watt continue to deliver at All-Pro level?
Entering his age-31 season, Watt remains one of the most disruptive forces in football. In 2024, he posted 11.5 sacks, 27 quarterback hits and led the NFL with six forced fumbles.
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Watt is also one of the most durable defenders in football. He suffered a pectoral tear in Week 1 of the 2022 season on the heels of his Defensive Player of the Year campaign. He still played 10 games that season and earned Pro Bowl honors. In each of Watt’s other seven seasons, he has played in 15 games or more.
Watt signs his extension while entering the fifth year of his previous five-year, $112 million extension to his rookie deal, setting the bar quite high for several defenders waiting on contracts of their own, including Dallas Cowboys’ Micah Parsons and Cincinnati Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson.
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This marks just one of many moves the Steelers’ front office, led by general manager Omar Khan, has made this offseason, including the signing of veteran QB Aaron Rodgers, trading away WR George Pickens and S Minkah Fitzpatrick and acquiring WR DK Metcalf and CB Jalen Ramsey via trade.
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