The Pittsburgh Steelers ' rivalry with the Cleveland Browns is in full effect following T.J. Watt 's record-breaking extension.
The Pittsburgh Steelers made All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history , surpassing Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett . It's safe to say Browns fans weren't happy.
In fact, Nick Wilson of Cleveland's 92.3 The Fan had quite an interesting reaction to the news.
"Good for you, T.J. Who's a big man, T.J.? Aren't you a big, strong boy? Don't you feel like a bigger man today? Oh gosh, T.J., you got $1 million more a year than Myles Garrett," Wilson said . "Maybe you'll stop throwing temper tantrums when you don't win every Defensive Player of the Year award. Maybe you won't cry as much when people point out that Myles Garrett, who's been to the playoffs twice in his career, has more playoff wins than you. Maybe, T.J., you won't cry so hard every time somebody says anything nice about some other defensive player that also happens to be a pass rusher in the NFL. T.J., I hope this completes you as a person so that the rest of us don't have to hear you cry and whine."
Watt and Garrett have long had a rivalry on and off the field. When Watt found out that Garrett was going to win the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, he skipped the ceremony entirely. That didn't sit right with Garrett.
"I've never complained about the trophy not being in my house, and vice versa, he shouldn't be feeling two ways about it going to me," Garrett said . "We're just gonna play the game. I don't play against T.J. He doesn't play against me. We're playing to do what we're supposed to, go out and do what we're supposed to, win the game and dominate on defense."
Then following the Browns' 24-19 win over the Steelers in Week 12 of last season, Garrett made sure to sink the knife in deeper.
"I have a lot of respect for him … but I'm number 1. That's from Edge 1 to Defensive Player of the Year. I'm the guy. That runs through me," Garrett said . "There's no other person being schemed or planned against like I am. It just shows, you can throw that out the window. I'm gonna find a way."
Still, it's just a part of business in the NFL when the time comes for one of the top players at his position to get paid that he'll likely reset the market.
That is exactly what happened with Watt, and now both players can let their play do the talking on the field.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Browns Pundit Has Embarrassing Reaction to T.J. Watt's Payday
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