Steelers' Alex Highsmith makes big prediction about future of T.J. Watt

Pittsburgh Steelers star pass-rusher T.J. Watt raised eyebrows in April with a social-media post that indicated he could be leaving the club while in the final year of his existing contract. 

During a Thursday appearance on NFL Network's "The Insiders" program, Pittsburgh edge-rusher Alex Highsmith poured cold water over speculation about Watt's short- and long-term futures. 

"I'm confident that he's not going anywhere," Highsmith said about Watt, as shared by Nick Shook of the NFL's website. "... I know that he loves being here, he loves being in Pittsburgh, and the city of Pittsburgh loves him, and so I know that they're gonna do whatever they can to get a deal done. And so hopefully sooner than later. Cause everyone knows that he's a generational talent, generational player. We all know that he wants to be in this building."

Of course, this isn't the first time that Watt has been the subject of contract-related drama. Ahead of the 2021 season, he completed a summer "hold-in" en route to receiving a four-year extension worth over $112M total that included $80M in fully guaranteed money. He later became the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award winner for that campaign, and the StatMuse website shows no player has accumulated more regular-season sacks than Watt (108) since he entered the league via the 2017 draft. 

That said, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently mentioned how Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns reset the market for players at the position when he received a four-year, $160M contract extension that included $123.5M guaranteed earlier this offseason. 

"It's not really a matter of whether he's worth it or not," Fittipaldo added about the Steelers having to either match or better Garrett's deal to make Watt happy. "It's the business side of football." 

Reports continue to suggest the Steelers will soon sign 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers to be their starting quarterback for at least the 2025 season. That's a win-now move for any team considering Rodgers' age, so one would assume the Steelers will hold onto Watt and also give him a deal to his liking before Rodgers takes his first official snap as a Pittsburgh player in September.