The Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to work out a contract extension with superstar edge rusher T.J. Watt.
Watt is currently holding out over his desire for a new deal, and it’s logical to guess he wants top-of-the-market money that would surpass the massive four-year, $160 million contract the Cleveland Browns gave Myles Garrett.
However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport suggests that the Steelers are looking to avoid that kind of extension.
“You know, if they possibly can, they’re going to try and not make him the highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL,” Rapoport said of Watt and the Steelers.
As important as Watt is to the Steelers, there is an age concern here, otherwise the team would likely oblige its superstar edge rusher with a record-setting deal.
Watt is coming off a down campaign and is set to turn 31 in October, which means a new four-year contract would take him through his age-35 season. The length of the deal could also be a sticking point for Pittsburgh as a result.
The Steelers would likely be content with a contract that pays their best defender just more than the Houston Texans’ Danielle Hunter and the Las Vegas Raiders’ Maxx Crosby, who are making $35.6 and $35.5 million per year, respectively.
If Watt is going to budge on his top-of-the-market desire, we’d estimate he’d settle for $39 million annually that includes a hefty amount of guaranteed money. On a four-year deal at that rate, it works out to a total value of $156 million.
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