J.J. Watt carefully addresses Steelers, T.J. Watt situation

Pittsburgh Steelers star pass-rusher T.J. Watt is in the final year of his contract, so eyebrows understandably were raised when he wasn't spotted as the Steelers opened the organized team activities portion of the offseason program on Tuesday. 

During Wednesday's edition of "The Pat McAfee Show," future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt spoke carefully when asked about what T.J. is up to in late May. 

"I have a lot of information on that subject," J.J. said, as shared by Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot. "That's not my subject to discuss." 

Back in the summer of 2021, T.J. Watt participated only in individual drills throughout training camp as his representatives and the Steelers worked on what became a four-year extension worth over $112M that included $80M in fully guaranteed money. Shortly after Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns inked a four-year, $160M extension that included $123.5M guaranteed earlier this offseason, Watt generated headlines with a social media post many believed was a reference to his feelings about his contract status. 

During an online chat on Wednesday, Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that he believes the club "will try to extend Watt" before the 2025 season gets underway. Dulac also said the Steelers may "have to come close" to matching what Garrett received to get a deal done with Watt before the situation possibly gets ugly. 

"Taking care of your guys earlier does a few things for you," J.J. Watt added during the "McAfee Show" segment. "Number one, it gets them locked in 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."

It remains to be seen if T.J. Watt is unhappy enough to skip Pittsburgh's three-day mandatory minicamp that runs from June 10-12. The Steelers' expected signing of 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers will make them a win-now team, so it's safe to say that head coach Mike Tomlin will want Watt to be an active participant by the time training camp practices begin in late July.