TJ Watt’s demands to the Pittsburgh Steelers over a new contract have apparently been revealed.
The 30-year-old pass rusher is entering the final season of his deal which pays him an average of $28 million a year.
TJ Watt has apparently made his contract demands clear to the Pittsburgh Steelers[/caption]
Watt wants to be the highest-paid non-quarterback, which Myles Garrett currently is[/caption]
Watt has been one of the best defensive players of the last decade.
But NFL teams are circling for a possible trade if a new contract can’t be agreed.
Steelers Radio Network host Gerry Dulac spoke to The Rich Eisen Show this week.
Host Eisen asked if the recent trades for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith will have any effect on the Watt negotiations.
Ramsey was given a pay bump after joining the Steelers to take his salary to $26.6 million.
And tight end Smith was handed a one-year deal worth $12 million.
Watt will turn 31 in October during the 2025 season.
Dulac said, “These moves have nothing to do with any negotiations with TJ Watt.
“The stalemate is going to be that TJ Watt wants to be the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league.
“The Steelers are looking at his age of 31.
“In order to accommodate any kind of large contract, it can’t be a three-year deal it has to be a five-year deal in order to spread the money out.
“Now you’re looking at TJ Watt being aged 36.
“That doesn’t mean, as that gets closer, they can’t change it up and move on if they want.
“It’s not a smart business decision for the Steelers and they know it. That’s what they’re weighing.
“They did see a decline in his performance last year but they tend to pay guys for their past performances as much as what they can still do.
“They believe they will sign TJ Watt but something is going to have to give because the Steelers know that it’s not the smartest business decision.”
The market for elite pass rushers reset with Myles Garrett’s new contract this off-season worth $40 million a year.
The 29-year-old signed a four-year contract with the Cleveland Browns.
Dulac added, “They (Pittsburgh) are not the Jets or Browns.
“They’ve had a history of making smart business decisions and I’m sure they will do it again.
“But that’s going to be the conundrum in these negotiations.”
