Whenever a new contract nudges the prior APY bar a little higher than it was, there’s always a possibility that the deal includes a fugazi final year that accomplishes this goal.
The new T.J. Watt contract does NOT contain a fugazi final year.
It’s an impressive deal, beyond the $41 million new-money average (which leapfrogged Myles Garrett’s $40 million per year). We’ve gotten the details of the new four-year deal (three-year “extension”), and here they are. Per a source with knowledge of the terms:
1. Signing bonus: $40 million.
2. 2025 base salary: $4 million, fully guaranteed.
3. 2026 base salary: $32 million, fully guaranteed.
4. 2027 base salary: $32 million, fully guaranteed.
5. 2028 offseason roster bonus: $15 million, due on the third day of the league year.
6. 2028 base salary: $21.05 million.
Three years — THREE — are fully guaranteed. At $108 million, it’s the highest full guarantee for any non-quarterback in NFL history. Hell, it’s $8 million more in full guarantees than Brock Purdy received earlier this year.
The cash flow is $44 million, $32 million, and $32 million. With an early trigger on the final $36.05 million.
Of the full amount, 74.97 percent is fully guaranteeed at signing. And the cash flow in the early years ($76 million in two years, $108 million in three years) are the highest for any non-quarterback in league history.
And he turns 31 on October 11. He’ll finish each of his three fully-guaranteed seasons at 31, 32, and 33.
It’s a hell of a commitment by the Steelers, and it ensures that Watt will be a Steeler at least through 2027.
