Unlike their Bengals brethren, the Pittsburgh Steelers know how to pay a star pass rusher what he’s worth.
At least, that’s the way things are trending with T.J. Watt.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter joined The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday to update the negotiations.
“T.J. Watt is gonna get a strong deal from the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Schefeter said. “… Both sides are working to make it happen and T.J. wants to make sure that he gets rewarded in an appropriate way.”
That’s huge news for Pittsburgh.
Watt held himself out of early offseason activities as these negotiations were ongoing, but the sooner the Steelers can get a happy Watt back on the field, the better for preparing for a big season ahead with Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf leading a band of newcomers.
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Watt is the old guard now, and he’s still uber-talented.
It’s not clear exactly what Schefter means by a “strong” deal.
Could Watt get all the way up to Myles Garrett’s four years and $160 million? It’s possible, although Watt is coming off a worse season than Garrett.
Maybe he’s more in the $38 million per year range, which would put him ahead of Maxx Crosby of the Raiders but just behind Garrett.
The number is almost less important than getting the deal done. A few million here or there can be managed down the road by the Steelers.
Their priority should be getting the contract over the finish line, and based on Schefter’s reporting, it seems they’re closer to that than ever.
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