Insider Reveals Key Reason for Why T.J. Watt is in Contract Dispute with Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt during a game against the New York Giants on Oct. 30, 2024. -- Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt is probably seeking $40 million a year or more, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Network would be surprised if Watt gets a higher APY than Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett.
'You know, if they possibly can, they're going to try and to make him the highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL,' Rapoport said. 'Because we are still waiting on some details from these massive deals, it's a little tricky to see where T.J. Watt belongs.'
In regard to T.J. Watt skipping mandatory minicamp due to a contract dispute, former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback and Hall of Famer Rod Woodson thinks the Steelers need to change their philosophy on how they structure contracts. He thinks the approach is outdated.
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'The Steelers, when you have an existing contract, they normally tear it up and redo another contract for you,' Woodson said on Up & Adams with Kay Adams. 'But what I would say to the Steelers is times are changing. When you have a guy like T.J. Watt, you want to keep him happy because not only is he the leader on the field and off the field, but you're showing the rest of the players in the locker room how you treat your best players, especially in the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
'He's one of the best players to play at that position in the history of the Steelers. I think you do something a little bit different. Normally, they don't tear those contracts up and redo them, but I think you should really hardly think about it. He should be one of the highest-paid players at his position, if not the highest-paid player at his position.'
J.J. Watt stated several times this offseason that the Steelers messed up by not giving his brother an extension sooner.
'Reward your players earlier and reap the benefits in the long run. Dragging it out not only ends up costing more, it creates unnecessary tension. The longer you wait, the higher the price,' J.J. Watt wrote on X in response to a Brett Kollerman post that said dragging stuff out is the worst way to do things.
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Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is not worried about Watt's three-day absence from mandatory minicamp. He's confident that a solution will be reached at some point. When that will be is unknown, however.
'I'm not going to get into speculation there,' Tomlin said. 'You guys know what negotiations is about; I'm optimistic we're going to get things done because we got two sides that want things done. When that's going to occur, I don't know.'
Tomlin was not surprised that Watt held out from the three mandatory minicamp sessions.
'Certainly, we'd like him to be here, but certainly not surprised about where we are,' Tomlin said. 'We've expressed a desire to get the business done. He has as well, and so, we'll continue to work. We've been here before.'
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Watt has not been around the team since cryptically throwing up the deuces on Instagram a few months ago.
Despite perception that Watt is not happy with the Steelers, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network does not believe there's bad blood between the two sides.
'I don't feel that this one is contentious,' Garafolo said on The Insiders. 'If a player misses mandatory minicamp over the next couple days, you don't have to fine a player. We'll see what the Steelers wind up doing on this one.
'I know that they feel really good about the talks that they've had and the offers that they've made… Mike Tomlin has the belief that T.J. Watt is gonna be just fine working away from the facility, so they're not stressing about that part of it.
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'If there was a pressure point right now, and the start of training camp seems like it's a pressure point, I feel like this thing would get done. And it will get done at some point.'
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Insider Reveals Key Reason for Why T.J. Watt is in Contract Dispute with Steelers
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