T.J. Watt has established himself as one of the faces of NFL defensive dominance. He brings five Pro Bowl appearances and three All-Pro nods in tow for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With his weekly dominating outings, does that make him the highest-paid Steelers player?
Details of T.J. Watt’s Salary for 2023
Watt is currently on a four-year deal that pays him $112 million. Per Spotrac, that deal makes the edge rusher the team’s highest-paid player. The closest Steelers player after Watt is star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who is also on a four-year contract — worth $73 million.
As for his base salary, Watt has witnessed a spike. In 2022, he was earning $15 million, but it’s jumped to an astonishing $20 million in 2023.
He’s anticipated to receive a new raise after the 2023 campaign, as he’ll earn a base salary of $21,050,000 for the 2024 season.
With this deal, Watt carries a cap hit of $29,368,694 and a dead cap value of $48,106,082. But he won’t become a free agent until he’s 32.
Examining Watt’s Past Deals With Pittsburgh
Watt has come a long way from his rookie deal of 2017. Back then, his rookie contract was for four years and $9,258,568 in total value. Here’s what else was included:
- Signing Bonus: $4,873,504
- Average Salary: $2,314,642
- Guaranteed Money: $9,258,568
Watt earned that money from 2017 to 2021, when he began establishing himself as a league household name with four consecutive Pro Bowl appearances.
During his first deal, Watt racked up an astonishing 72 sacks across his first five seasons.
Was Watt’s $112 Million Deal Before His NFL Record-Tying Season?
Watt earned some pre-2021 season motivation the moment he sat down with the Steelers’ brass. Then, on Sept. 9 and the eve of the ’21 campaign, Watt stroked his signature across the paper to agree to the $112 million deal.
From there, history was made — literally.
Watt piled the sacks up and began to inch closer to NFL history. By season’s end, he tied Michael Strahan by putting up 22.5 single-season sacks — joining the NFL Hall of Famer in the league’s record books for most sacks in a year.
MORE: Highest-Paid Edge Rushers in the NFL
Now in 2023, Watt hasn’t missed a beat. He’s the league leader in sacks ahead of the Saturday contest against the Cincinnati Bengals with 16. With three games remaining, he needs seven more sacks to shatter his mark.
If he accomplishes that feat, Watt could spark new conversations among NFL fans who believe it’s Watt who deserves to once again be the highest-paid NFL defender.
Want to predict the rest of the 2023 season with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? Looking for the most up-to-date NFL standings? What about a breakdown of team depth charts or the NFL schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with that and more!
