Superstar edge rusher TJ Watt finally got his big payday. Today, SportsVival looks at the deal, the positives and negatives, and what this means for the Steelers as an organization moving forward.
TJ Watt Career Snapshot
108 career sacks
7 Pro Bowls
4 First-Team All-Pro selections
2021 Defensive Player of the Year
Steelers record with Watt: 79-40-2
Without Watt: 1-10
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know who TJ Watt is. He’s one of the most dominant, elite defensive players in the National Football League. His name is shared alongside the likes of Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons and others. Watt was looking for a deal, and wanted to make more money than Garrett. The Steelers broke out the checkbook, which seems to be the new way they play ball. The Khan era has been more of a spending spree than under Kevin Colbert. Watt gets three years for $123 million and he averages $41 million per year over the next three seasons. What are the good and the bad of this deal?
To begin with the good, obviously one of the wins here is the Pittsburgh Steelers lock up their defensive superstar and their defense has their best player locked in for the foreseeable future. The biggest question for the Steelers is now answered. Watt is objectively the heart and soul of the team. They play differently—and better—with him in the lineup. Without him they are awful. 1-10 without TJ. With TJ, the record is 79-40-2. Without him, they go from a professional football team to The Three Stooges. They don’t know how to play without him. And even if they did, they still can’t win without him.
The bad is not something we should overlook. Watt is older and he carries a fair amount of mileage. Do I believe TJ is going to magically fall off a cliff over these next three years? Not if he stays healthy. But he tore his pectoral in 2022, and he’s dealt with other bumps and bruises. During the later stretches of seasons, the wear and tear of the game sometimes means Watt doesn’t show up on the stat sheet like he used to. In his last few playoff games, he’s recorded just one sack and minimal disruption. If you’re going to pay a player north of $100 million, he needs to deliver in November, December and January. If not? That’s wasted money—money the Steelers can’t afford to squander even if the cap keeps ticking up.
Overall, I think the TJ Watt deal was one they needed to get done. Three years isn’t that long. Sure, $123 million is hefty, but Watt’s career numbers have justified the price tag. Without him, the Steelers would be a five-win team every year. The stats prove it.
I do worry about his health and the longevity of his career—but you could say that about anybody. If he stays upright, there’s no reason he can’t remain one of the league’s best defenders and help Pittsburgh continuously improve, eventually competing for their seventh Lombardi Trophy.
All eyes now turn to training camp: can Watt’s roar propel Pittsburgh to Lombardi number seven, or will Khan’s spending spree be remembered for dollars spent, not hardware won?
(photo courtesy of the NY Times)