The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a peculiar spot as they begin their 2025 organized team activities (OTAs) with Aaron Rodgers still unsigned. The four-time NFL MVP is widely expected to have reached a verbal agreement with the Steelers but hasn’t put pen to paper yet, as Mason Rudolph leads the offense in Pittsburgh for now.
Whether Rodgers signs or not, it is clear that the Steelers have to pay a big contract to edge rusher T.J. Watt, who is in the last year of his contract and is described as the best Steelers player in 2025.
T.J. Watt Named Steelers’ Best Player Entering 2025 Season
From Minkah Fitzpatrick and Cameron Heyward to DK Metcalf and Pat Freiermuth, the Steelers are loaded with elite talent heading into the 2025 season. But according to PFSN’s Jacob Infante, the best Pittsburgh player overall in 2025 is Watt.
“The likes of Minkah Fitzpatrick and Cameron Heyward remain top contributors for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but when selecting the top overall player on their roster, it’s hard to go with anybody other than T.J. Watt,” Infante wrote.
“Watt has led the NFL in sacks three times in the last five years, having been a seven-time Pro Bowler and a four-time first-team All-Pro in his eight-year career thus far. He was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2021, and he has been an All-Pro in five of his last six seasons. He’s one of the most consistent defensive stars in the league today.”
One of the most durable and consistent stars in the NFL, Watt has started all 17 games in each of the last two seasons after a torn pectoral cut short his 2022 campaign. He’s made seven straight Pro Bowls and earned first- or second-team All-Pro honors five times.
Watt has recorded at least 11.5 sacks in every fully healthy season. He’ll turn 31 in October, which complicates how long an extension could be, but the Steelers have long been expected to make him one of the league’s highest-paid non-quarterbacks.
TJ Watt appreciation post.
Steelers need to get this man a contract ASAP! ⏰#NFL #Steelers
pic.twitter.com/pGbUejYgLn— The Standard (@TheStandard412) May 19, 2025
At 31 years old, entering the 2025 season and carrying a $30 million cap hit, the Steelers are caught between not wanting to overcommit and knowing they can’t easily replace a player of Watt’s caliber.
Waiting it out isn’t much of an option either. Dallas Cowboys star defender Micah Parsons is also due to hit free agency next spring, and it’s likely both he and Watt will closely monitor each other’s negotiations. If Parsons signs a record-setting deal, that could become the new bar the Steelers must meet to keep Watt.
It’s hard to picture the Steelers without Watt. He’s been the face of their defense since entering the league as the No. 30 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, and his resume speaks for itself — Defensive Player of the Year honors, seven Pro Bowl selections, and a weekly presence offenses have to plan around.
But if the two sides can’t agree on an extension, and Pittsburgh wants to avoid a holdout or a ballooning cap hit for an aging star, then a trade can’t be ruled out. But for now, the Steelers remain in a holding pattern with their best player, who is also skipping OTAs. For one of the league’s most stable franchises, this is a rare moment of real uncertainty — and there’s no clear endpoint in sight.
