Pittsburgh Steelers star pass rusher T.J. Watt is officially a part of a list no one ever thought he would be on
Steelers star pass rusher T.J. Watt signed one of the biggest deals in NFL history less than a year ago, and some are starting to have their doubts about his future with the Steelers. That has him on a list he wants no part of.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are clearly in a pickle when it comes to the future of their EDGE rushing position. For right now, everything is fine as the Steelers prepare to keep all of Alex Highsmith, T.J. Watt, and Nick Herbig on the team in 2026, barring an offer that the Steelers simply can’t refuse.
But what happens in the year 2027? That’s when Nick Herbig’s new contract extension kicks in, and the Pittsburgh Steelers will undoubtedly have to move on from either Alex Highsmith or T.J. Watt. Only there’s one issue with a potential Watt trade, and it’s creating headlines he probably never envisioned being part of.
T.J. Watt 2025 stats
- 55 total tackles.
- 7 sacks.
- 3 forced fumbles.
T.J. Watt’s contract called one of the worst in the NFL
“The 31-year-old’s sack numbers have plummeted from 19 in 2023 to 11.5 in 2024 to seven in 2025. This was his first relatively full non-All-Pro season since 2018, indicating that a decline is well underway. Even if the Steelers move on after the 2027 campaign, Watt will have cost the team $94 million in salary and dead-cap charges for just two seasons of work.” – Brad Gagnon, Bleacher Report
Does T.J. Watt actually have one of the worst contracts in the league?
On paper, the production of Watt’s 2025 season doesn’t match his salary. At the time of signing, Watt recorded the highest APY in the history of the pass-rushing position.
He would go on to record just seven sacks, and the advanced analytics showed a loss in first-step get-off, which has always been a calling card for Watt. Simply put, he didn’t live up to his new deal in 2025, and after back-to-back years of being banged up to end a season, some have wondered if we have seen the best of Watt.
That may be the case, but the thing about the greats is that they aren’t like the others. No one is going to be a harder critic than Watt when it comes to his own game.
If he transitions to being more of a power player, there is no reason Watt can’t continue to dominate at a high clip well into his mid 30s. But it’s going to take some evolving.
We already know that Watt will finally be loving around more, and a new scheme could serve as a refresher both mentally and physically for Watt. It will be on him to put it all together.