J.J. Watt Gives Disheartening Update on Steelers, T.J. Watt

T.J., who is the Steelers' all-time leader in sacks with 108, finished fourth in AP Defensive Player of the Year voting last season after pacing the league with six forced fumbles while also tallying 11.5 quarterback takedowns.

The edge rusher market has exploded this offseason, with Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns scoring the largest deal at four years, $160 million, and Watt's likely looking to ink an extension with Pittsburgh that resets the standard at the position.

The Steelers previously made him the highest-paid defender in league history with a four-year, $112 million pact in September 2021, though there's reportedly been little traction in talks on a new deal thus far.

J.J., who previously stated that a hometown discount for T.J. was no longer on the table for Pittsburgh, also offered some potential benefits that can be had by locking up players at the earliest possible date while discussing Trey Hendrickson's current contract dispute with the Cincinnati Bengals.

"Taking care of your guys earlier does a few things for you," he said. "Number one, it gets them locked in at a lower price in the long run. I mean, you look at what prices are doing every single year, you get them locked in a lower price. Number two, you're keeping them happy."

The Steelers likely feel some sort of pressure to finalize an agreement with Watt considering he's the face of the franchise, and while there's still plenty of time to figures things out, a resolution doesn't appear imminent.