Steelers Fans Given The Truth About TJ Watt's Future And A Potential Extension

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the most talked about teams in the NFL throughout the 2025 offseason. This has mostly been because of the uncertainty at the quarterback position, George Pickens trade rumors, and now a potential TJ Watt extension. The star outside linebacker is going into the final year of his contract, and he is due for a new extension. It has been speculated that he wants to be paid more than Myles Garrett, whom the Cleveland Browns made the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league during the 2025 offseason.

Watt has been the most important player for the Steelers since being drafted by the organization in 2017. He has consistently been one of the best defenders in the NFL as he continues to build a Hall Of Fame career year in and year out. Fans have understandably been worried about his future in Pittsburgh. Some of the reports coming out about a new deal have not seemed promising, and Watt has even taken to social media to post some cryptic messages.

Trade rumors involving Watt have made their rounds, but team insider Gerry Dulac doesn't believe Watt will be going anywhere. He recently went on The Rich Eisen Show where he spoke about when he expects a deal to get done.

"TJ wants to stay here. They will want to keep him here." Dulac said. "What it's going to take, we'll see. I can't answer that question right now. I think it's an end-of-the-summer type of, August for sure, type of a situation where that's where it would get resolved. You're not gonna see another monster deal like he had the first time relative to the salaries. But they want to keep him, and he wants to be here."

Pittsburgh typically gets deals done in the middle of training camp in August, so that isn't out of the ordinary. However, it has hurt the organization. If Pittsburgh could have gotten a new deal done with Watt either during the 2024 offseason or earlier in the 2025 offseason, the organization could have saved money by beating out Garrett and the Browns.

Garrett wasn't the only edge rusher that saw a good extension during the 2025 offseason. For a brief period of time Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders was the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. Both of these players made the edge market increase, which ultimately hurt the Steelers.

Dulac's prediction about the Steelers not giving out a monster deal is a little bit concerning. It would be surprising if Watt didn't want to beat out Garrett, and if the organization doesn't agree to that then the two sides might be at a crossroads. This is where a potential trade could come into play, but there likely won't be any clarity on the situation until August rolls around and the team is in Latrobe for training camp.

Steelers Fans Can't Be Mad At Watt For Wanting More Money

Fans are always quick to criticize players who strive to be the highest-paid at their position, or hold out for more money. The thought process is that the more cap space a team has the better it can be, but that isn't always the case. The team doesn't have to spend the extra money that is left over, so it just makes sense to give more money to a team's best player.

Watt has also been through a lot of frustration with Pittsburgh. He has never won a playoff game, and the roster moves for the organization have to be frustrating, especially at the quarterback position. The future looks fairly bleak for the Steelers, and Watt should be able to get paid if he is going to stick around for it.