Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90)gets ready to take the field against the New York Giants during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Steelers' T.J. Watt shares eyebrow-raising photo amid contract dispute talk

By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated Apr 10, 2025 10:38 AM ET

T.J. Watt is seeking an extension as he enters the final year of his contract, and all it took was one photo for Pittsburgh Steelers fans to come to the conclusion that their star pass-rusher is as good as gone.

Watt has one year remaining on the four-year, $112M extension he signed with the Steelers back in 2021. After racking up 30.5 sacks over the past two seasons, Watt is undoubtedly looking to become one of the highest-paid defensive players in the NFL, if not the highest.

When asked about Watt's contract situation at the NFL owners meetings in Palm Beach, Florida, last week, Steelers general manager Omar Khan would only say he is "hopeful" Watt will retire with the team.

That did not give fans in Pittsburgh much reassurance. Then on Wednesday, Watt shared a photo on his Instagram story that showed him holding up two fingers.

Does this TJ Watt cryptic Instagram post mean he's retiring???? pic.twitter.com/TVVPkZb9FT
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) April 9, 2025

What did the post mean? Probably nothing. Watt may just like that photo. Without any accompanying text, it is a huge leap to say the photo was somehow Watt's way of saying "farewell" or "peace out" to Pittsburgh. Paranoid fans are sure to interpret it that way, however.

Watt probably feels he is underpaid at his $21.05M salary for next season, but the Steelers have plenty of time to sign him to a new deal. If the 30-year-old wants something comparable to the $40M per year Myles Garrett is now getting from the Cleveland Browns, that could complicate negotiations a bit.

Again, none of that means a simple photo on Instagram should be overanalyzed. If Steelers fans are hitting the panic button over that, they could be in for a long 11 months.

Steve DelVecchio

Steve is a veteran writer who has covered a variety of sports and pop culture topics for more than 15 years. In addition to Yardbarker, his work has been featured on prominent digital publications including Larry Brown Sports, MSN and FOX Sports. The UConn graduate has published more than 40,000 stories and is one of the most experienced trending news writers in the country

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