The curious reason why insiders think T.J. Watt will become the highest-paid defender in the NFL
In December last year, Steelers star T.J. Watt suffered an ankle injury late as Pittsburgh lost to the Philadelphia Eagles. Watt sustained the injury in the fourth quarter when he was rushing around the edge against Eagles' Lane Johnson.
But Watt could very well be back in form in a few weeks time, if insiders are to be believed.
On Sunday's episode of SportsCenter, analyst Jeremy Fowler claimed that the Watt can not only regain his form but also come up as the title of highest-paid defender, which is currently held by the Browns' DE Myles Garrett.
T.J Watt poised to be the true comeback kid as per NFL insiders
"Steelers, I'm sensing are optimistic they can reach a deal with Watt eventually," Fowler said.
"My sense is that he will probably be the highest-paid pass-rusher in the league when this is all said and done. He wants to be a Steeler for life, the Steelers want that, he's a legacy-type player.
"They believe at 30 years old he still has several good years left. They're just gonna have to come up with a number and a good guarantee structure. He did miss minicamp, so Pittsburgh has a lot of work to do. But typically, Pittsburgh perks up in these things around training camp and late July,' Fowler added.
Last week, another NFL insider, Jesse Palmer, said during a talk show that TJ Watt may soon become the NFL's highest-paid defender, according to reports he had been hearing.
Palmer also shed some light on Watt's contract negotiations with the Steelers and how it could be a particularly famous record held by Myles Garrett.
"I'm hearing there's a chance Watt gets past [$40 million]," Palmer said. "Which is something we're really keeping an eye on, right? If he gets that $40 million a year, at the age he is at, he has every right to ask for it.
I've talked on here a lot about the comparison between him and Myles Garrett. The numbers are almost identical in every aspect. … [Watt] has the right to try and get that."
Sports writers Destin Adams and Kyle Crabbs also addressed Watt's future in the league and broke down why he's so valuable as a player. 'Watt's one of the league's best pure pass rushers, and he had 19 sacks as recently as 2023,' Crabbs wrote.
Adams shared, 'If the Steelers' secondary can be better this year, I think Watt should be the odds-on favorite to lead the league in sacks as well as to win Defensive Player of the Year. The biggest hurdle still remaining is getting his new contract figured out so there are no distractions in his way come the regular season, but I'd be surprised if the two sides aren't able to come to an agreement before training camp concludes'
Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
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