The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves at numerous crossroads from an organizational perspective. Between the uncertainty at the quarterback position, slight uncertainty at wide receiver, and a completely new running back room minus one returning face. Although, I think the biggest question mark is one that we haven’t really talked about. Of course, I’m talking about TJ Watt. He wants an extension. He’s earned an extension. He’s one of the best defensive players in the league. Even if he isn’t on the stat sheet, offensive lines must account for him on every single play. But, what about his payday?
Watt wants to be paid in the realm of Myles Garrett’s contract, preferably overtaking him. Understandably, given TJ is the anchor and the catalyst of the defense, this request is understandable.
The negatives are not benign, however. TJ has disappeared at crucial points of the season over the past few years, especially before playoff games. Watt also hasn’t done a lot in the playoffs, minus a fumble recovery for a touchdown against the Chiefs in Ben Roethlisberger’s final game. Outside of that, in the playoffs and during the final stretches of seasons, he’s been a non factor and not his usual self.
Another concern regarding Watt is his injury history and his age. Watt is 30, and will turn 31 during the season. Granted, I don’t think Watt is going to fall off a cliff physically or productively, but age is slowly becoming a factor to account for when things like extensions are on the table. But, on the opposite end of that, Watt has been a loyal, hardworking, consistent and committed player who gives it his all every week and it’s evident that the team plays better and stronger with TJ in the lineup. The Steelers are an abysmal 1-10 without Watt, most notably the Steelers had a record of 1-6 in 2022 in games Watt didn’t play when he had his pectoral injury.
The Steelers have other good pass rushers. Most notably Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig and this year's draft pick Jack Sawyer. The Steelers have always bred pass rushers well, and they obviously believe that all of these players together can feed off of each other and grow alongside each other. When guys like Watt do well, it leaves space for Highsmith, then Sawyer, and so on and so on. If the Steelers aren’t getting to the quarterback, they don’t win games. It’s a part of the Steelers DNA.
A pro Watt argument is a rather simple one: The Steelers offense for most of TJ’s career has been anemic at best, minus when TJ was first drafted and was playing with the Killer B’s. Ever since Ben’s retirement, they’ve screwed around with the quarterback position. Because of this, your defense is going to face exhaustion by constantly being on the field and having to make more plays than your offense does. That’s not an excuse for the lack of TJ’s explosiveness near the end of seasons, but it is something that I don’t think many people talk about. The longer it takes for them to fix the quarterback situation, the more the defense will struggle and lack longevity together and plays will not be made when they’re needed.
Overall, TJ Watt is one of the best defensive players in the league. He shares the Mount Rushmore with the likes of Myles Garrett, Aiden Hutchinson, Nick Bosa and Micah Parsons. His ability to wreck games and overtake them is not something to ignore. Injuries and age are a concern, but Watt’s overall ability and track record is more than enough to give him an extension to finish his career in Pittsburgh while he chases the ever elusive Lombardi Trophy.
(photo courtesy of Steelers Wire- USA Today)