The Pittsburgh Steelers brought an end to weeks of drama and signed star edge rusher T.J. Watt to a record-setting deal this week.
The new extension will keep the 31-year-old in Pittsburgh for the next three years and will bring Watt back in time for training camp after he had missed the team’s mandatory minicamp. Though his absence led to some trade rumors, one Steelers insider revealed the team’s true level of interest in trading Watt.
Steelers Lock Down Their Star Player
Watt made history with his three-year, $124 million extension that will give him the highest annual salary for a non-quarterback. The deal includes $108 million in guaranteed money, a major commitment for a player who led the NFL with 73.5 sacks over the last five years.
Though Watt’s absence at minicamp led to some speculation that the Steelers could put him on the trade block if a deal wasn’t reached, CBS Sports insider Jonathan Jones revealed that this was never a consideration for the Steelers.
Jones blamed the trade speculation on some bored members of the sports media, saying it certainly didn’t come from Pittsburgh’s front office.
“All the talk about how T.J. Watt could be traded,” Jones said. “Of course, T.J. Watt was never getting traded. I understand we have to fill the vacuum in the summer. ‘Oh, potential landing spots for T.J. Watt.’ Listen if your team is blessed by the Good Lord to have T.J. Watt at 31 or 23 or whatever age, you don’t trade T.J. Watt when you’re trying to be a GM. You keep T.J. Watt and keep him happy.”
Steelers Made Their Intentions With T.J. Watt Clear
Despite the lingering trade rumors, the Steelers gave no indication that they ever considered trading him and general manager Omar Khan said for months that they planned to sign him for the long-term.
Speaking to reporters in February, Khan compared Watt to a pair of other Steelers greats.
âT.J. is one of those legacy guys,â Khan said, via The Athletic. âI was around Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu. Those guys spent their entire careers with us, and thatâs a special thing. Iâm hopeful and confident that T.J. will be one of those guys.â
Watt has some big goals, saying after the team’s playoff exit earlier this year that he wants to break through. Watt hasn’t won a playoff game yet in his eight seasons in Pittsburgh, even though the team has been in contention often during that stretch.
âEvery guy in here wants that,” Watt told reporters. “Donât confuse any of this lack of success for lack of effort. Everybodyâs trying. Weâre turning over every stone that we possibly can to be great. We want to be great. We just need to do it together. And thatâs not saying that we havenât, but we just need to do everything collectively and play complementary football when the time matters most. And thereâs definitely a sense of urgency because itâs playoffs in the National Football League. This is what everybody plays the game for.â
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