Steelers’ T.J. Watt Update Revealed After Jalen Ramsey Trade originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
It’s been a busy offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and things only got crazier on Monday, when they traded safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a late-round pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith.
After also acquiring wide receiver DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks and signing quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a one-year, $13.65 million contract, it appears the organization is ready to go all in on 2025.
However, they’re facing trouble with EDGE T.J. Watt, who skipped the team’s mandatory minicamp (June 10-12) while seeking a new contract. NFL insider Adam Schefter gave an update to the negotiations during “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday.
“Everybody just has assumed that, rightfully, the two sides will figure it out,” Schefter said. “But I don’t think they’re very close right now, and I don’t think he’s particularly pleased. … They just gave Jonnu Smith more money, they just gave Jalen Ramsey more money, they haven’t given T.J. Watt more money, and you just wonder how that’s going to play out.”
“Everybody has just assumed that TJ Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers are gonna figure things out..
I don’t think they’re very close to a deal right now”@AdamSchefter#PMSLivepic.twitter.com/aFEC1SWtT6
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 30, 2025
Watt, who is in the final season of a four-year $112 million deal, has proven to be a valuable player, racking up 462 tackles, 126 tackles for loss, 108 sacks, 33 forced fumbles and 304 pressures in eight seasons with the Steelers.
To go along with those impressive numbers, the 30-year-old has also been to seven Pro Bowls, earned First-Team All-Pro honors four times and was even named the 2021 AP Defensive Player of the Year.
It has put Watt in line to earn a massive payday, as CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin predicted the pass rusher will sign a three-year, $121.5 million contract, which would give him the highest annual salary ($40.5 million) for any defensive player in NFL history.
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt.Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
What makes this situation even more interesting is that, also mentioned by Schefter, after the trade was made, the Steelers gave Ramsey a $1.5 million raise for 2025, while handing out a one-year, $12 million extension to Smith.
It will now remain to be seen if Watt gets paid next, as Pittsburgh is estimated to have the 17th-highest cap space of any NFL team after those moves at $23.7 million, per Spotrac.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
