PITTSBURGH – After a contract negotiation that lasted throughout the training camp, the Pittsburgh Steelers and outside defender TJ Watt agreed on a megadeal Thursday.
Watt, 26, agreed to a four-year, $ 112 million extension, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal includes $ 80 million in total collateral, ESPN source Jeremy Fowler said.
The average annual value of $ 28 million per season makes Watt the highest paid defensive player in the NFL. The Los Angeles Chargers defense ends the five-year, $ 135 million extension of Joey Bosa signed in 2020 with an average of $ 27 million and $ 102 million guaranteed.
Watt’s deal also surpasses the Chicago Bears, outside of defender Khalil Mack, who was previously the highest paid on the spot with a six-year, $ 141 million contract signed in 2018. The Mack deal has an annual average of $ 23.5 million and has $ 90 million guaranteed.
When the deadline came, negotiations entered week 1, as the two sides worked to find a common ground on the contract guarantees. Typically, Steelers only guarantee the signing bonus, but not much more. Watt’s case, however, broke that mold.
Watt is not the first member of his family to make record money. Big brother JJ Watt, now with the Arizona Cardinals, signed a six-year, $ 100 million extension with the Houston Texans in 2014. JJ’s $ 51.8 million guaranteed and an average of $ 16.6 million dollars were the two records of an NFL defensive player at the time.
Watt finished second to Aaron Donald in the Defensive Player of the Year vote after his 15-sack campaign in 2020. He also added an interception and two forced shots with 53 attacks in total.
Watt has amassed double-digit sacks each season starting in 2018, and has subsequently recorded 13, 14.5 and 15 sacks. His two forced hits in 2020 were the lowest since he recorded just one his debut season. He had six in 2018 and eight (along with four rebounds) in 2019. He finished third in Defensive Player of the Year by voting for New England cornerback Stephon Gilmore and Arizona defender Chandler Jones in 2019.
“TJ is visiting another planet, to be honest with you,” coach Mike Tomlin said during the 2020 season. “He has a strangely unique talent along with some strangely unique work habits and mindset, and he produces what you attend every week, which in my opinion is the quality of the defensive player of the year “.
The Steelers broke away from fellow free agent Bud Dupree in free agency, noting that they were advancing with Watt as the cornerstone of the defense and planned to sign him for a monster deal. This year, he will anchor the left side of the passing race and be part of a rotation that includes former Chargers outside defender Melvin Ingram and sophomore runner Alex Highsmith.
The Steelers faced a tight limit in 2020 and 2021 in part because of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s contract, but they restructured their deal and released right-back David DeCastro long before camp, releasing space to sign veteran free agents and deliver Watt to a megadeal.
After this season, however, the Steelers are expected to be in a very different situation with Roethlisberger’s contract canceled after the season. This gave them the space to sign Watt in their agreement.
Although he attended all the practices, Watt did not fully participate in the training camp while the two parties negotiated the day of payment for the blockbuster. Instead, Watt worked individually with strength and conditioning coaches on the sidelines at Heinz Field during team periods.
“Everyone knows TJ,” defensive coordinator Keith Butler said Aug. 7. “Everyone knows he’s a good teammate. He wants to be out there. He really wants to be there, but some things just need to be done. This is a business. We all like to think it’s a game, but when everything it is said, it is a business “.
Now that business is in full swing, Watt is back on the field this week and is ready to work in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills.