Steelers' TJ Watt Hit With Devastating Snub By ESPN In All Quarter Century Team

Pittsburgh Steelers superstar edge rusher, TJ Watt hasn’t been around the team during the 2025 offseason. This is because Watt is seeking a new contract extension, as he is entering the final year of his current deal. With the edge rusher market continuing to rise, the Steelers have struggled to reach a quick agreement. A contract offer has reportedly been presented to Watt, but he is not satisfied with it yet.

Many around the league believe the Steelers will eventually work something out to keep Watt in Pittsburgh for the long haul. The hope is that he will remain a one-hat guy and finish his career where it started. However, until a deal is finalized, uncertainty will continue to surround one of the franchise’s most important players.

Adding to the drama, ESPN writers Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder revealed their NFL All Quarter Century Team on Wednesday, and Watt was surprisingly left off the list. The snub raised eyebrows across the league, especially considering Watt’s Defensive Player of the Year Award, multiple All-Pro honors, and consistent dominance. 

For someone with his resume, being excluded felt like a major slight in the eyes of many Steelers fans. Cleveland Browns superstar Myles Garrett made the team, while Walder put Watt on the practice squad.

"Since Garrett entered the league in 2017, no edge player has accumulated more pass rush wins than his 522 -- ahead of TJ Watt's 467," Walder said. "And Garrett did that while maintaining the third-highest double-team rate at edge (27%) of all qualifying edge rushers. He has made the most of his eight seasons in the league, with a First Team All-Pro nod in half of those seasons, making him plenty worthy of selection."

 

One of the biggest reasons it has become so difficult for the Steelers to finalize a new deal with Watt is the rapidly growing pass rusher market. The situation became even more complicated when the Browns signed Garrett to a contract worth $40 million per year. 

That deal reset the market and raised the standard for elite edge rushers across the league. Watt believes he deserves at least that much based on his production, accolades, and overall impact. The challenge for the Steelers is that committing such a large amount of money to a 30-year-old pass rusher under a tight salary cap creates a serious financial dilemma.

Watt’s ongoing contract situation made his recent omission from ESPN’s NFL All Quarter Century Team even more frustrating. The edge rushers selected to the main roster were Demarcus Ware, Jared Allen, Julius Peppers, and Garrett. As mentioned, Watt was placed on the practice squad list, alongside Michael Strahan, which essentially served as an honorable mention. 

Steelers' TJ Watt Isn't New To Disrespect

Putting together a list like this is never easy. The NFL has seen an incredible number of dominant edge rushers over the past 25 years, and narrowing it down to just a few is always going to leave out some worthy candidates. However, Watt's consistent production, leadership on the field, and ability to change games with his presence make a strong case for inclusion. 

His exclusion has sparked debate among fans and analysts who believe he has done more than enough to earn a spot on the main roster, especially considering his peak performance and the impact he continues to have year after year. 

This isn’t the first time Watt has been snubbed. When he felt robbed of the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2023, he posted a cryptic message saying it was nothing he wasn’t used to. He will likely use this latest slight as fuel heading into the 2025 season.