If Mike Tomlin is acting like someone who has already seen this movie before, it’s because he has. The Pittsburgh Steelers coach recently downplayed questions regarding T.J. Watt’s holdout, the team’s second-biggest storyline to Aaron Rodgers making his Steelers debut.
“Um, no,” Tomlin said when asked if he had anything specific to say regarding Watt’s holdout. “Certainly, we’d like him to be here, but certainly not surprised by where we are. We’ve expressed a desire to get the business done. He has as well. And so we’ll continue to be here. We’ve been here before.”
The outcome this time will likely mimic what transpired the first time around.
Four years ago, Watt staged a summer-long hold-in before finally coming to terms on a four-year, $112 million extension that at the time made him the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player. With a new deal in hand, Watt then went out and had his best season to date and was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.
That contract has since been surpassed by several other pass rushers, most notably Myles Garrett, whose recent four-year, $180 extension made him the NFL’s new highest-paid defensive player. Watt is currently the seventh highest-paid pass rusher in terms of average annual salary.
By all accounts, Watt and the Steelers are expected to come to terms on an extension before the start of the 2025 regular season. And while there are several reasons whey they shouldn’t do it — he’ll turn 31 during the season and is coming off one of his least productive seasons — the Steelers will be doing the right thing when they decide to do right by Watt.
From a salary cap standpoint, the Steelers have the money to satisfy Watt’s contract requests — after all, they aren’t paying top dollar for a quarterback. While the AFC North’s other three teams are paying more than $50 million this season for their starting quarterback, Rodgers will make only $13.65 million in base salary for the 2025 season.
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Outside of Watt, Pittsburgh doesn’t have any other pressing contracts coming up. Over the past year, the Steelers have either signed or extended DK Metcalf, Cameron Heyward, Patrick Queen and Pat Freiermuth. The only possible big contract on the horizon is that of safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who still has two years remaining on his current deal.
The Steelers are reportedly still trying to add to their receiving corps, which is where Watt’s contract comes into play. Pittsburgh currently has just under $19 million in cap space, so it’s possible that they could extend Watt and still have enough money to acquire another wideout. It would likely take some maneuvering in the form of guarantees, however, and probably require several other players adjust their contracts.
From a personnel standpoint, extending Watt make sense. After trying and failing for years, the Steelers finally have the depth at pass rusher that should help them apply consistent pressure to the opposing quarterback, something that is a necessity given that the Steelers play Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow a combined four times a year. Along with Watt and fellow starter Alex Highsmith, Pittsburgh’s depth at pass rusher includes up-and-comer Nick Herbig and rookie Jack Sawyer.
Despite his age, Watt is still a highly effective defensive player. Last year, when teams began double- and even triple-teaming him more in an effort to neutralize his presence as a pass rusher, Watt channelled more of his energy into forcing turnovers. The result was a league high six forced fumbles.
While he still found ways to make an impact last year, Watt will have to figure out how he can still be an elite pass rusher if teams continue to double-team him. While he still had 11.5 sacks last year, Watt didn’t record a single one during Pittsburgh’s final four games. Watt has said he is willing to move around more in an effort to make it harder for teams to double him. That is how the Browns have used Garrett over the years.
Watt is also a legacy player. It’s important to Steelers president Art Rooney II that Watt finish his career as a Steeler and not somewhere else. That surely played into the team’s decision to again extend Heyward’s contract last offseason.
Whenever it inevitably happens, it’s safe to say that part of Pittsburgh’s decision to extend Watt will be emotionally driven. That’s obviously not always the best way to do business, but in this case, the team’s desire to see Watt play his entire career in Pittsburgh is more than justified given his ability, intangibles and connection to the city and fan base.
Watt’s current situation is similar to what transpired 20 years ago between the Steelers and Pro Bowl receiver Hines Ward. After a brief holdout, Ward, then 29, signed an extension just before the start of the 2005 season, a season that ended with Ward winning Super Bowl MVP honors.
The Steelers are surely hoping that Watt will have a similar story during his final years in Pittsburgh. Watt certainly wants that too, which is yet another reason why both sides will ultimately find common ground between now and the season opener against the Jets.
As Rodgers himself said on Tuesday, the Steelers are one of the NFL’s historic organizations. The team’s rich history features a long list of notable players who spent their entire careers wearing the black in gold. Among those players are former defensive stalwarts Ernie Stautner, Joe Greene, Mel Blount, Jack Lambert, and Troy Polamalu. Whenever Watt and the Steelers come to terms on an extension, he will be one step closer to joining that fabled list while continuing the legacy of great players who spent their entire careers in Pittsburgh.
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Author: Bryan DeArdo
June 11, 2025 | 1:36 pm
