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Editors note: From now until reporting day to training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2026 season.
The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with two players each day between June 13 and July 28.
Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.
OLB T.J.
WATT Experience/age: 10th season, 31 Contract status: $42 million cap hit in 2026, signed through 2028 The past: Taken 30th overall in the 2017 draft, Watts career trajectory gradually grew into a Hall of Fame-worthy resume.
On the Pro Football Writers of Americas all-rookie team his first season, Watt was named to the Pro Bowl roster for his second season.
By Year 3, he was a first-team AP NFL All Pro and finished third in defensive player of the year voting.
The following year? All Pro and DPOY runner-up.
Watts fifth season was his peak: winning defensive player of the year after tying the NFLs single-season sacks record (22 12).
It was in the days leading up to the start of that season that Watt signed a four-year, $112 million contract extension that made him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL.
It was during the lead-up to last years training camp that Watt again signed an extension that made him the best defensive player in the league, this time for $123 million over three years.
That came in the wake of an 1112-sack season in 2024 that at the time was his lowest production for a full season since having seven sacks his rookie year.
(Watt played in only 10 games in 2022 because of a pectoral injury.) Then, last season Watts sack production declined again.
He had seven, albeit in only 14 games because he missed three December contests as the result of a partial lung collapse suffered during a dry-needling treatment at the Steelers facility.
Our @JJWatt breaks down the TJ Watt strip sack pic.twitter.com/LU2gECMWV9 NFL on CBS ???? (@NFLonCBS) November 2, 2025 2026 outlook: Watts cap hit for this season is the fifth-highest for any NFL player.
Only the Kansas City Chiefs Chris Jones has a bigger hit among defensive players.
That he will turn 32 on the day of the Steelers Week 5 game this season brings a natural question about whether Watt is in the decline phase of his career.
Aside from the raw sack numbers, the advanced metrics didnt shine for Watt.
He was not in the top 20 among edge defenders in ESPNs pass rush win rate.
Watt graded out 26th in Pro Football Focus grading for the leagues edge defensive players, 23rd in pass rushing.
In 2026, he is working under a new defensive coordinator and staff.
Watt late in the spring acknowledged his stubbornness in previous seasons in choosing to rush almost exclusively from the left side of the defense.
He pledged to embrace a more varied approach as to where he lines up, as coordinator Patrick Graham has hinted at.
It also might be expected that Watt plays fewer snaps.
While that would be in part an acknowledgement of his age, it also relates to that the Steelers have depth at outside linebacker in Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig and Jack Sawyer.
Herbig inked a $100 million extension last month signaling he will play much more than just to spell Watt and Highsmith.
It seems clear Watts days of challenging to break the season sacks record are over.
But hes probably still better than the seven-sacks-a-year guy he showed in 2025.