Patrick Rooney Jr., the grandson of Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr. and cousin of team president Art Rooney II, did not hold back on the idea of Pittsburgh making All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. He thinks the Steelers would be 'absolutely insane' to do so.
Patrick Rooney Jr. is not a member of the Steelers organization, so he has no say in whether Watt gets $40 million a year or more, but it interesting that a member of the Rooney family sounded off on the topic.
"T.J. is a great player, great Steeler, but it's insane to pay him anything right now," Rooney said on the Palm Beach Kennel Club. "Absolutely insane. He's 31 years old. But again, if you're going all-in this year, then you're going to have to re-sign him. You're making moves right now that you're trying to do something this year. That, to me, based on anything you've seen the last few years, seems insane."
Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt during a game against the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 8, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The Steelers and Watt are reportedly not very close to a deal as he's entering the final year of his contract. If the two sides can reach an agreement before the start of the season, could Watt holdout?
ESPN insider Adam Schefter isn't ruling anything out.
"That's a long way away. I'm not ready to say anything like that right now," Schefter said on ESPN radio. "If we get to August 8th and it's still not resolved, well that becomes a little bit more interesting. And if it gets to September 8th, that's a big problem."
Watt has already shown he is not afraid to sit out to expedite the process. He skipped OTAs and mandatory minicamp last month, so all eyes will be on Latrobe when the team reports to training camp in a couple of weeks.
Watt is currently scheduled to make just $21.05 million in salary in 2025, none of which is guaranteed.
Meanwhile, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett was just made the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history this offseason with a contract extension that pays him $40 million per year .
That is likely the number Watt is trying to match or break, but some don't believe he's worth that much money coming off the least-productive full season of his NFL career.
However, the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year still proved to be a difference maker in 2024 while recording 11.5 sacks and a league-leading six forced fumbles.
ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler recently revealed the big holdup with Watt in his contract dispute with the Steelers. It has to do with guaranteed money and it's term length.
"Well, people I've talked to around the league believe it's guaranteed money, it's term length," Fowler said on SportsCenter . "A lot of the details, they get sticky this time of year, especially as you're leading up to training camp. I talked to somebody with the team who said, 'Look, these are complicated deals to do, but we are working on it. We want T.J. Watt here.' There's not a lot of traction right now as far as a potential trade — although there would certainly be a lot of interest if the Steelers would tap into that.
"This is a situation where [Watt] is probably going to be the highest-paid edge rusher in the league when this is all said and done. It just depends on when the Steelers can do it. Typically, they like to do their deals either around training camp or leading into Week 1. So, this is far from over."
Aaron Becker contributed reporting for this story.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Rooney Family Member Blasts Idea of Paying T.J. Watt: 'Absolutely Insane'
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