The Pittsburgh Steelers waited months for quarterback Aaron Rodgers to decide if he wanted to play football in 2025. It now appears that contract negotiations with future Hall of Famer T.J. Watt could be the next saga that hangs over the team for several months.
NFL insider James Palmer of Bleacher Report addressed a timeline for a Watt extension, citing the history of prolonged negotiations between Watt and the Steelers. He believes that it could happen again. He also believes a hold-in during training camp is possible.
"This is one where we really went through a difficult negotiation last time. That went all the way up to, I believe, the Thursday before the season. Buckle up, we could have that again possibly."
Related: Pittsburgh Steelers have set timeline for T.J. Watt contract extension
T.J. Watt contract ( Spotrac ): $30.418 million cap hit in 2025, NFL free agent in 2026
Palmer did note that there's "a lot of confidence in Pittsburgh" about a resolution eventually being reached. There's mutual interest in a long-term deal and as of now, everyone expects a contract to be in place before the regular season kicks off.
In April, Watt made a cryptic post on Instagram displaying him holding up the peace sign as he walked off the field. It implied his Steelers' tenure might be drawing to a close as he enters a contract year. Around that same time, J.J. Watt made it clear his brother wouldn't take a discount to remain with Pittsburgh.
Related: Steelers made 'significant' T.J. Watt contract offer
T.J. Watt stats : 27 QB hits, 19 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries
While the two sides have been in contract negotiations this offseason, it appears not a ton of progress has been made. Watt is sitting out of mandatory minicamp and the All-Pro edge rusher appears poised to exercise a hold-in during training camp. In short, he'll report to the team but not practice.
The likelihood of a deal being reached remains high, but the cost could climb if the Dallas Cowboys sign edge rusher Micah Parsons to a multi-year extension worth north of $40 million per season. If history repeats itself, Watt likely won't be signing an extension with the Steelers until days before the Steelers' regular-season opener against the New York Jets on Sept. 7.
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