T.J. Watt is one of the best defenders in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ history. That’s a substantial claim, considering how much talent they’ve had on that side of the ball. But Watt is the team’s all-time sack leader, and he even shared the NFL’s single-season sack record for a few seasons. Unfortunately, Watt hasn’t been as dominant recently, leading some to say the Steelers made a mistake giving him a big contract extension last year. Former Steelers offensive lineman Trai Essex disputed that narrative, though.
“He had his worst season since his rookie year,” Essex said Tuesday on his Snap Count podcast. “His sack output has been declining the last two years, from 19 to 11.5 to 7.5… Did the Steelers mess up? I still don’t think they messed up… Because I think T.J. Watt might be one of those players that might rebound…
“With T.J. having the type of game that he has, the type of style that he plays with, he’s not overly physical. He’s not trying to bull rush you or hump you every time. He is a finesse player… I think he has one of those games, as an outside linebacker, that can age well in the NFL, and that he can have a rebound year and bounce back and have big sack numbers… He has a game that I think will extend into his mid-30s.”
Watt’s extension gave him a massive payday, boosting his average annual income to more than $40 million. It made Watt the league’s highest-paid edge rusher at the time, although he was coming off a quieter year in 2024 with only 11.5 sacks. He was still impactful, though.
However, Watt didn’t bounce back in 2025, posting only seven sacks. While he missed a few games due to a freak accident, he wasn’t as disruptive before that.
Watt will turn 32 during this season, and he’s under contract for the next three years. There’s some concern that Watt’s career is on the downswing, and the Steelers can’t really move on from him until 2028. The Steelers could be stuck with a declining, expensive player for the next two seasons.
That’s not guaranteed, though. There’s a chance that Watt could return to form in 2026. The biggest reason for optimism might be the Steelers’ new defensive scheme. That was a huge problem for Pittsburgh’s entire defense last year.
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has done more with less in the past. He helped Maxx Crosby have some of his best seasons. Perhaps he can use Watt more creatively, allowing him to experience a career resurgence.
The Steelers want to be Super Bowl contenders this year. However, they’ll need Watt to meet his own standard again if they truly want to reach that level. He’s got a good example on his team of a defensive player who’s defied Father Time, Cam Heyward. Perhaps Watt can steal some of Heyward’s longevity.