The Pittsburgh Steelers completely embraced their 2025 status as the NFL's Expendables on Thursday by extending outside linebacker T.J. Watt to a record-breaking new deal.

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt is a beast on the football field. Since being drafted in the first round in 2017, he’s consistently been an NFL leader in sacks and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2021.

On Thursday, the news broke that the Pittsburgh Steelers and star edge defender T.J. Watt had agreed to terms on a huge new contract. The new four-year contract has a total value of $144 million, with $123 million in new money and $108 million of that guaranteed.

The deal was first reported by ESPN. The $41 million average annual salary just beats Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase’s $40.25 million to make Watt the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Watt, 30, has played his entire career in ...

The new deal is worth a purported $123 million across three years, which would make Watt the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Indeed, the tally surpasses that of both Browns lineman Myles Garrett and Bengals wideout Ja'Marr Chase, each of whom reset the non-QB market earlier this offseason.

After making multiple significant upgrades to the secondary, the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves entering the 2025 NFL season with one of the best defensive units in all of football.