A new concept: Refreshing sports notes about one athlete! It’s an honor to chronicle all the skinny about T.J. Watt in the aftermath of his contract extension! Far superior to Myles Garrett notes!
• Watt got what he wanted. Maybe less term than he’d prefer. But Watt got a higher average annual value ($41 million) than Garrett, more guaranteed money per year ($36 million) than Garrett and guaranteed cash unprecedented for the Steelers ($108 million). Watt topped his nemesis. He got that validation. But if you think Garrett is overpaid, say the same about Watt.
• Steelers fans think Watt is clearly better than Garrett. But their resumes are basically identical: Each has played eight seasons. Each has one Defensive Player of the Year. Each has made first-team All Pro four times, second-team All-Pro twice. Watt has 108 sacks, Garrett 102½. But an ESPN poll of NFL executives, coaches and scouts voted Garrett the top edge rusher, Watt second. Garrett also has a playoff win — over Watt. Watt is 0-4 in the postseason.
• It’s often bleated that the Steelers are 1-10 when Watt doesn’t play. If that’s relevant, so is Watt’s 0-4 playoff mark. If you single out individuals for blame or credit within the context of team results, you can’t be selective.
• Watt is the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Now he’s not just one of 11 on defense, if he ever was. That Steelers defense has to be elite: Top five in everything. The Steelers have to win a playoff game. Watt has to be first-team All-Pro, top three for Defensive Player of the Year. Injury can’t be an excuse. Nor can being double-teamed or chipped. It’s a lot to demand. But that’s what Watt’s contract mandates.
• If the Steelers don’t win a playoff game this season, giving Watt that deal is a bad decision. The Steelers won’t regret the contract, per se. But Watt won’t deliver enough to justify the payday. Not individually, or in terms of impact on winning. Watt is 30 and still very good, but fading.
• The Steelers are “all in.” Signing Watt seems to reflect that. But he’s not a new addition. The Steelers didn’t get better on Thursday when Watt put pen to paper. The Steelers merely gave more money to an existing component, one that almost certainly would have played regardless.
• It would have been better to make Watt play out the last year of his existing contract, then franchise as necessary. Go year by year. Or trade him. But the Steelers capitulated despite having all the leverage. It’s become a soft organization. Will a happy Watt be a better Watt? Let’s see.
• This contract reflects how urgent the Steelers are, right? We hear that word a lot: “Urgent.” Like Foreigner. But Watt already has his money and the single-season sack record. Coach Mike Tomlin and GM Omar Khan will never lose their jobs. You can’t fire the owner. Aaron Rodgers and Cam Heyward each have one foot in retirement. It is 100% impossible to generate urgency in that situation.
• Watt is getting quarterback money. The usual suspects say that’s OK, because Rodgers counts just $14.15 million against the cap. For the five years after this season, the Steelers will likely have a quarterback on a relatively low-paying rookie deal. But does that mean it’s advisable to pay Watt $41 million per? You could have spent money to improve the roster somewhere else.
• The most tangible positive effect of extending Watt is eliminating a distraction that would have plagued every day of training camp till Watt signed. Discussion, speculation and rancor would have been non-stop.
• If J.J. Watt shuts up about his brother, agreeing to this contract has immense value to everybody. Just seconds after T.J. signed, J.J. tweeted, “Earned. Deserved. Incredible.” Money and stats: That’s how the Watts keep score. When I was a kid growing up in the ’70s, we didn’t even know what Mean Joe Greene’s stats were. We just know he was a badass, and helped the Steelers win. We did know Franco Harris’ rushing yards. The Steelers cut Harris when he wanted too much money. “Franco who?”
• I don’t care that T.J. is a one-helmet guy. It bugs me that he’s so celebrated despite being a no-ring guy. Getting this kind of contract should be about impact on winning, nothing else.
• I’m not sure T.J. is an all-time Steelers great. He’s definitely a Pro Football Hall-of-Famer, probably on the first ballot. But it’s more difficult to be an all-time Steelers great. You’ve got to win.
• I believe T.J. wants to win. But these Steelers aren’t good enough. If they disappoint, Watt gets a lot of the blame. That happens when you make the most money.
