PITTSBURGH (AP) \u2014 The Pittsburgh Steelers made star outside linebacker T.J. Watt the NFL\u2019s highest-paid defensive player on Thursday, signing him to a pact that will keep the perennial All-Pro in black-and-gold well into his 30s.<\/p>\n
PITTSBURGH (AP) \u2014 The Pittsburgh Steelers made star outside linebacker T.J. Watt the NFL\u2019s highest-paid defensive player on Thursday, signing him to a pact that will keep the perennial All-Pro in black-and-gold well into his 30s.<\/p>\n
Watt, who was entering the final season of the four-year extension he signed in 2021<\/a>, is scheduled to make $123 million over the course of the three-year agreement, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract had not yet been made public.<\/p>\n ESPN first reported the extension.<\/p>\n Watt appeared to celebrate by making a rare Instagram post on Thursday afternoon, sharing a picture of him flexing<\/a> in his signature No. 90 jersey. Watt also posted a photo in his Instagram stories<\/a> of him posing alongside prot\u00e9g\u00e9 and third-year Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig.<\/p>\n The average annual value of $41 million eclipses the previous record contract for a defender set by Cleveland defensive lineman and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett<\/a> in March. <\/p>\n The value also eclipses the average salary of Bengals wide receiver Ja\u2019Marr Chase<\/a>, who became the league\u2019s highest-paid non-quarterback after agreeing to a new contract worth $40.25 million a season.<\/p>\n The fact that Watt\u2019s extension is worth 2.5% more per season than Garrett\u2019s (whose overall total value of $204 million is still higher than Watt\u2019s) is not a coincidence. Watt, the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year and a four-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler, has long believed he is the best edge rusher in the NFL.<\/p>\n For the second time in four years, he\u2019s being paid like it.<\/p>\n Watt, who turns 31 in November, took the unusual step of skipping mandatory minicamp<\/a> last month in hopes of putting pressure on Pittsburgh\u2019s front office to get something done. Head coach Mike Tomlin brushed off Watt\u2019s absence, saying it was only a matter of time before things worked themselves out.<\/p>\n The timing couldn\u2019t be better. The new-look Steelers \u2014 now led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers<\/a> \u2014 report to training camp at Saint Vincent College next Wednesday.<\/p>\n They\u2019ll do it with a familiar face in tow. Watt, who tied an NFL record by racking up 22 1\/2 sacks in 2021, is the linchpin of a defense that will be relied on heavily if the Steelers want to end a playoff drought that stretches back to the 2016 AFC Championship, a few months before the Steelers selected Watt with the 30th overall pick in the 2017 draft.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n AP NFL: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/nfl<\/a><\/p>\n Will Graves, The Associated Press<\/p>\n