There will be no hold out. No “hold in,” either, for T.J. Watt.
The Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday agreed to make him the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
According to a league source, the Steelers are signing Watt, their 30-year-old outside linebacker, to a four-year, $144.05 million contract that runs through the 2028 season. The star edge rusher is entering the final year of his current contract that he agreed to in 2021.
The new deal can be expressed as a three-year extension worth $123 million — and the $41 million per year on the extension makes him the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player and is more than any offensive player who is not a quarterback.
Watt has a $21.5 million base salary for 2025. Counting the extension, Watt’s contract has a $36 million annual average value over the next four seasons, and the deal includes $108 million in guaranteed compensation.
Watt will make $1 million more per season — when expressed as an extension — than rival Myles Garrett will get via the terms of a deal he signed with the Cleveland Browns this spring. Cincinnati Bengals receiver JaMarr Chase later signed a four-year, $161 million deal that surpassed Garrett’s as the NFL’s highest-paid non-QB.
Watt celebrated the news by posting a picture to his Instagram account. In the photo, Watt is flexing his muscles while wearing a white Steelers road uniform. His brother, three-time NFL defensive player of the year J.J. Watt, posted a succinct message on his verified ‘X’ account: “Earned. Deserved. Incredible.”
From team president Art Rooney to general manager Omar Khan to coach Mike Tomlin, Steelers management said repeatedly in the offseason that the organization’s plan was for Watt to be a “one-helmet guy,” as Tomlin has stated. The contract is a significant step in Watt finishing his career with the organization that selected him in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Watt has been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the past seven years. He is a former NFL Defensive Player of the Year winner and a five-time finalist for the award. He also has been named a first-team All-Pro on four occasions.
Watt has a team-record 108 sacks in his eight NFL seasons, all with the Steelers. He is a three-time NFL single-season sacks leader, and he tied the league’s single-season record with 22 1/2 sacks in 2021.
Watt, though, is coming off a disappointing finish to the 2024 season. Not only did the Steelers end the season on a five-game losing streak, counting the wild-card playoff loss in Baltimore, Watt did not register a stat in the season finale or postseason game. Watt also didn’t have a sack in any of the final four games, including playoffs, and he finished with 11 1/2 sacks — his fewest in a full season since 2017.
When negotiations stalled, Watt did not report to mandatory minicamp in June and was not at voluntary organized team activities preceding that. In 2021, Watt attended all mandatory team functions but did not participate in team drills — modern parlance for a “hold in” — during training camp. He signed a few days ahead of the 2021 season opener.
The Steelers report to Saint Vincent for training camp Wednesday. With Watt in the fold, the Steelers can turn their attention to potentially extending other players who will become free agents in 2026. Other starters that fit that mold are left guard Isaac Seumalo, running back Jaylen Warren and wide receiver Calvin Austin III.