The Pittsburgh Steelers got their hands on one of the best pass rushers in NFL history when they took TJ Watt with the 30th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. his time in Pittsburgh has seen him earn seven pro bowls, four all-pro selections, and the 2021 NFL Defensive player of the year award.
Pittsburgh Steelers’ top priority in the offseason is finding a starting quarterback after Justin Fields and Russell Wilson were traded. However, their second priority may be slipping away.
Breaking: Steelers Fans Worried TJ Watt Just Said Goodbye To Team
Fans are worried their best defensive pass rusher just said goodbye to the team:
Star pass-rusher T.J. Watt, a seven-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro, and the 201 Defensive Player of the Year, is entering the final year of his four-year, $112 million contract and looking for a lucrative new deal.
There hasn’t been much traction on Watt and the Steelers toward a new deal, which may have been behind his most recent Instagram story, in which he posted a photo of himself holding up a peace sign.
While Watt’s post may have nothing to do with his contract situation, that didn’t stop Steelers fans from slightly freaking out about the future of their star defensive player.
“He’s leaving… we’re cooked,” one fan wrote.
“As a Steelers fan, January 6th would look like a child’s party if the Steelers were to let him go. We would’ve lost like 4-5 games early last season without TJ lmao,” another added.
“If they don’t give it to him they are absolute idiots,” one user chimed in.
“We got TJ Watt attention seeking in 2025💔,” another fan remarked
Though Watt will have the second-highest cap hit among defensive players in 2025 ($30.42 million), he presumably is looking to shatter that mark with his next contract, which many believe will rival the four-year, $160 million extension ($40 million per year) Myles Garrett signed with the Cleveland Browns earlier this offseason.
Here is a look at Watt’s stats so far throughout this career:
| Def Interceptions | Fumbles | Tackles | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Age | Team | Lg | Pos | G | GS | Int | Yds | IntTD | Lng | PD | FF | Fmb | FR | Yds | FRTD | Sk | Comb | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sfty | AV | Awards |
| 2017 | 23 | PIT | NFL | ROLB | 15 | 15 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | 54 | 40 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 0 | 7 | |
| 2018 | 24 | PIT | NFL | LOLB | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 | 68 | 50 | 18 | 12 | 21 | 0 | 11 | PB |
| 2019 | 25 | PIT | NFL | LOLB | 16 | 16 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14.5 | 55 | 35 | 20 | 14 | 36 | 0 | 14 | PB,AP-1,AP DPoY-3 |
| 2020 | 26 | PIT | NFL | LOLB | 15 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 | 53 | 43 | 10 | 23 | 41 | 0 | 18 | PB,AP-1,AP DPoY-2 |
| 2021 | 27 | PIT | NFL | LOLB | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 22.5 | 64 | 48 | 16 | 21 | 39 | 0 | 15 | PB,AP-1,AP DPoY-1 |
| 2022 | 28 | PIT | NFL | LOLB | 10 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 | 39 | 27 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 0 | 8 | PB |
| 2023 | 29 | PIT | NFL | LB | 17 | 17 | 1 | 24 | 0 | 24 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 34 | 1 | 19.0 | 68 | 48 | 20 | 19 | 36 | 0 | 18 | PB,AP-1,AP DPoY-2 |
| 2024 | 30 | PIT | NFL | LB | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 | 61 | 40 | 21 | 19 | 27 | 0 | 14 | PB,AP-2,AP DPoY-4 |
| 8 Yrs | 121 | 121 | 7 | 48 | 0 | 24 | 49 | 33 | 0 | 12 | 35 | 1 | 108.0 | 462 | 331 | 131 | 126 | 225 | 0 | 105 | |||||
| 17 Game Avg | 17 | 17 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 24 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 15.2 | 65 | 47 | 18 | 18 | 32 | 0 | 15 | |||||
