“Steelers Would’ve Preferred a Shorter Term Deal”: NFL Insider Reveals What Delayed TJ Watt’s Contract Extension in Pittsburgh

There was really never any chance that T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers weren’t going to come to an agreement on a deal this offseason. Rumors of trade possibilities were laughable. He’s been in Pittsburgh his entire career. He’s a Pittsburgh guy, and it would’ve taken something silly to change that.

The two sides finally announced an agreement earlier this week. Watt signed on for three more years in the Steel City, with his total contract value sitting at $123 million, including a $40 million signing bonus. The deal makes Watt the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history by average annual value (AAV) at $41 million, surpassing Ja’Marr Chase ($40.25 million) and Myles Garrett ($40 million). He also got a fat stack of guaranteed dollars in the deal, at $108 million.

Despite the deal being done, insiders like ESPN’s Adam Schefter are still positing reasons for why it took so long. Schefter, while doing a guest spot on the Pat McAfee Show, suggested that it was the length of the contract that held things up for Watt and the Steelers’ front office.

“I think the issue really, when they were sitting down and talking, was length. I think the Steelers would have preferred a shorter-term deal. And T.J. Watt would’ve wanted a longer-term deal. [But] they always were going to re-sign him,” Schefter said.

"I think the issue when the Steelers and TJ Watt were sitting down and talking was the length of the contract..

TJ Watt has 108 sacks and the guaranteed money was $108M" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/HrIF90hSRv

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 21, 2025

Schefter might be right, but at the end of the day, did the deal really get delayed that much? Watt was not present at mini-camp, but he has his deal done prior to training camp on Wednesday, July 23. There were a few reports that betrayed a tiny bit of animosity, but not much compared to other contract sagas we’ve seen around the league.

Not to mention that Watt also “held-in”—which is essentially attending training camp but working out by himself separate from the team—back in 2021 when he was searching for his previous record-breaking deal. That situation dragged all the way to September 9, when the deal was signed three days before the season opener.

Watt responded with two sacks and a forced fumble of Josh Allen in an upset win in Week 1. The edge rusher went on to tie Michael Strahan’s two-decade-old single-season sack record, putting up 22.5 that year as he won Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Now turning 31, Watt shouldn’t be expected to match that productivity. But the point is that the negotiations had zero negative impact on Watt’s on-field performance after signing.

Since Watt entered the NFL in 2017, he has more sacks (108.0), more TFLs (126), more QB Hits (225), and forced fumbles (29) than anyone in the league. His 41 passes batted down are also second among defensive linemen. He’s definitely worth the money.

But even more important than bringing Watt back on a deal that worked for both sides was beating Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys to the punch.

Nowadays, if a guy is an elite player ostensibly in the top five at their position, they expect a record-breaking deal. Cowboys edge Micah Parsons is definitely in that group. And now the Cowboys are likely going to have to pay him at least $42 million a year, if not more.