Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker TJ Watt took the unusual step of halting negotiations and overruling his agents to sign his contract extension. On Friday, he explained why he made that decision.
It had been reported in September that Watt’s agents felt they could get more money out of the Steelers when negotiating his new deal in September. Watt ultimately overruled them and took what was on the table, which guaranteed him roughly $80 million.
Watt was asked to confirm this story on “The Rich Eisen Show” Friday, and admitted it was largely true.
How does @_TJWatt see himself in the @steelers defense? And about those contract negotiations that caused him to miss training camp?
Fun stuff with the #HereWeGo superstar defender:#NFL #PITvsCIN pic.twitter.com/1JOclhfSh5
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) November 5, 2021
“It’s partially true,” Watt admitted. “It just got to a point where there was back-and-forth toward the end, minor details. Anybody who’s dealt with any type of negotiation in life, once you get toward the end there’s always little things here and there that you want adjusted. Towards the end I just said hey, this organization, (Steelers owner Art Rooney II) have showed such great faith in me in wanting to keep me here. I’m so sick and tired of going back and forth, back and forth. They have a great deal on the table and let’s just accept it and move on.”
Watt is very comfortable in Pittsburgh and has shown his affection for the team and its fans. Plus, the contract did make him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL, so it’s not like he took a massive discount for the sake of getting something done. That said, anecdotes like this are only going to endear him more to Steelers fans.
