The Las Vegas Raiders made Maxx Crosby the wealthiest defensive end in the NFL with news of a record contract extension Wednesday. The three-year, $106.5 million deal almost certainly caught the attention of T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers .
Crosby, 27, has the most tackles for loss (105) among defensive linemen in the NFL since 2019. The Raiders reportedly guaranteed him $91.5 million, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Watt is in the final year of a deal he signed in 2021. ESPN's Brooke Pryor reported then that Watt overruled his agents, who believed they could get him more money. The average value of $28 million a season made Watt the highest-paid defensive player at the time, surpassing the Los Angeles Chargers ' Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack , then with Chicago .
Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt and Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston in a game on Nov. 24, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Sportskeeda's Tony Pauline said last month that he believes T.J. Watt is due for a handsome contract of his own. Since putting pen to paper on his current deal, Watt has averaged 15.7 sacks per season and 47 total in 42 games. During that same span, Crosby has averaged 10.6 sacks per season and 42.5 total in 63 contests.
"T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers is also in the final year of his four-year, $112 million contract," Pauline wrote. "Watt has combined for 30.5 sacks the past two seasons, winning Pro Bowl and various All-Pro honors each year. Sources say an extension now would award Watt somewhere in the range of $35 to $37 million annually."
Dallas ' Micah Parsons , Cincinnati 's Trey Hendrickson , and Cleveland's Myles Garrett — all believed to be in Watt's echelon — are also in line for new contracts.
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