AFC North Rival Sets Bar for Watt Extension

As Pittsburgh Steelers fans debated the merits of signing quarterback Aaron Rodgers and trading receiver George Pickens, a potential problem continued to brew. Edge rusher T.J. Watt wants to be extended, and after the Cleveland Browns’ hostage situation came to a close, that deal became significantly more expensive.

Steelers rival and Browns phenom Myles Garrett signed a record four-year, $160 million extension early in the offseason. Soon after, Watt not-so-subtly took to Instagram to post a picture of himself giving a peace sign as he walked off the field.

Watt, for the duration of his eight-year career, has been tied to Garrett. He was drafted after him in the 2017 NFL Draft. He beat him to winning the Defensive Player of the Year award and to a 20-sack season, which Garrett hasn’t yet found. They share the same number of first-team All-Pro selections.

And yet, the difference between Garrett’s average annual value ($40 million) and Watt’s (~$28 million) is equivalent to that of Watt and Dayo Odeyingbo, the 20th-highest paid edge rusher in the sport (Over the Cap). Given Watt’s importance to the defense and the team’s proclivity for continuity, that should change soon enough.

“Back in 2021, Watt and the Steelers agreed to a $112 million extension that made him the NFL's highest-paid defensive player at the time,” Tyler Sullivan wrote. “Now, the star pass rusher is entering the final year of that deal and could again look to reset the market. If he were to land such a deal, it'd have to exceed Myles Garrett's $40 million AAV.

“Watt's current AAV sits at roughly $28 million, so this would be quite the raise for the 30-year-old. That said, he deserves it. Since signing that deal, Watt has won the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award, added three more All-Pro nominations to his résumé and is coming off a 2024 season where he posted 11.5 sacks and a league-leading six forced fumbles.”

It isn’t immediately clear whether Watt’s deal will beat Garrett’s in terms of total value or just average annual value. Extending edge rushers into their 30s is risky, and there’s probably some signal in his declining production. Still, he’s a safe bet to be a near-elite pass rusher for the next few seasons and he has incredible leverage.

Set for unrestricted free agency after the 2025 season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Watt put pressure on the team for a new deal in the summer. After Garrett reset the market by nearly $5 million per year, there isn’t anything Watt can do to leave that $40 million mark in the dust.