Ben Roethlisberger said the Pittsburgh Steelers should pay T.J. Watt whatever he wants. The team took the quarterback’s advice.
The AFC North contender and its prized defensive player are closing on a four-year, $112 million contract extension that will make Watt the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL.
Watt has 49.5 stats in his four NFL seasons. He has improved that total each season, finishing last year with a league-leading 15.
It’s a four-year, $112 million deal, per source. https://t.co/p2YaLXXARI
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 9, 2021
A bit more info:
Sources: The #Steelers and star pass-rusher TJ Watt have a mega-deal. He’s going to sign a 4-year extension worth more than $112M — $28.003M average per year — with $80M fully guaranteed at signing. The highest paid defensive player in football. 💰 💰 💰
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 9, 2021
“I think T.J. should get whatever the heck he wants. He’s arguably the best football player in the game right now, not just on defense in general,” Roethlisberger said this week, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “I’ve been through a few negotiations here with contracts. One of the reasons I took less money was for guys like him to get paid, and he needs to get paid. He deserves every penny he wants and asks for. T.J. Watt is that guy, that should get whatever he wants.”
The linebacker was the 30th pick in the first round out of Wisconsin by Pittsburgh in 2017. He is a three-time Pro Bowler.