Maxx Crosby getting a massive contract extension from the Las Vegas Raiders has several star NFL pass rushers on notice. While a Myles Garrett trade feels imminent away from the Cleveland Browns, we have to wonder how edge rushers playing on the final deal of their contracts like Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals and TJ Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers about this. Will they all be paid fairly?
I would say of the three who have not gotten paid in the wake of Crosby's deal that Hendrickson is the least accomplished. While Garrett is the most talented of the three, I feel that Watt will end up having the best career out of any of them. Unfortunately, while I do envision scenarios in which Garrett and Hendrickson leave their respective AFC North teams, Watt should be a Steeler for life.
Thus, he may not have as much leverage as he thinks he does. Pittsburgh can afford to pay Watt big money this offseason to get out ahead of a catastrophic situation heading into free agency next year, but much of that is contingent on getting the right quarterback for the Steelers at the right economic value. It is why they either need to re-sign Justin Fields to a team-friendly deal and/or draft a rookie.
The clock is ticking on the Steelers being able to extend Watt; it is only about to get more expensive.
Maxx Crosby contract extension now leaves TJ Watt massively underpaid
Watt is entering his age-31 season out of Wisconsin in 2025. He is slated to make just a shade over $30.4 million this fall. While I would argue that Watt is worth every penny on a new extension, he is on the wrong side of 30. He may be the healthier player when compared to his older brother JJ, but he has yet to be a part of a Steelers team that has won a playoff game, let alone get to the Super Bowl.
This is not Watt's fault, but rather more of a function of the Steelers being so beholden to whatever head coach Mike Tomlin does. He is becoming more and more like Marvin Lewis was leading the Bengals by the nanosecond. This so-called master of handling adversity is actually a tenured professor at creating chaos entirely. He creates a common enemy, largely among the players he has.
What I am getting at is for as obvious as it seems for the Steelers to extend Watt in the wake of Crosby's deal, what good has paying a premium for a pass rusher helped many of these teams? In a way, Cincinnati has gotten the most bang for its buck in Hendrickson. He was not this player previously for the New Orleans Saints. Hendrickson helped guide Cincinnati to the Super Bowl.
Extending Watt feels obvious, but letting him walk might necessitate the rebuild this team needs.