Watt to sign contract making him highest paid defensive player

[Oviedo]

I think you can make the case that TJ has nearly as many splash plays as Ben. If you count TJ's sacks, TFL, FF and INTs you get somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 splash plays. If you count Ben's TD passes, 3rd/4th down conversions via pass to extend drives and subtract INTs and fumbles lost, I think you'd be in the neighborhood of 40 splash plays as well, probably a little higher due to 3rd/4th down conversions but in the neighborhood. That being said, I'm with you, 30 million/year is a huge slice of the cap space and I don't know how that works out with a Minkah contract coming due as well.

Pappy

IMO...TJ is more important to this defense than Minkah. You can get a very good Safety for less than a premier pass rusher

As far as % of the cap, I think the team sees Ben's contract rolling off the books and they have a 3-4 year window where we are going to have a manageable QB cap hit. It may only be tight next year if Ben stays one more.

[Northern_Blitz]

I hope I’m wrong too.

I wanted us to move on from Ben and invest in skill positions while having a QB on the cheap but I wasn’t thinking QB numbers for an edge rusher.

I honestly don’t see how we get a legit ROI if Watt is the highest plaid defender in the league.

QB numbers are now $10 - $15M higher than $30M.

But it's certainly still a lot of cap space.

The good news about signing him now, is that the cap seems set to balloon (in 2024?). So contracts for Edge rushers will be even higher then.

If he's still an above average player by the end of the deal (I think he's elite now), I think he'll look reasonably priced. Although maybe I'm thinking of it as the cap hit being evenly distributed across the deal...which it won't be...especially after consistent restructures.

[papillon]

IMO...TJ is more important to this defense than Minkah. You can get a very good Safety for less than a premier pass rusher

As far as % of the cap, I think the team sees Ben's contract rolling off the books and they have a 3-4 year window where we are going to have a manageable QB cap hit. It may only be tight next year if Ben stays one more.

The manageable quarterback cap hit, in all likelihood, prevent them from getting to a Super Bowl. I know its been done in the past with a game manager or average quarterback but it is far and few between. The Steelers struggled to get a ball hawking safety for so long, it would be disappointing to see Minkah leave, even though he isn't the best tackler in the NFL.

Pappy

[Oviedo]

The manageable quarterback cap hit, in all likelihood, prevent them from getting to a Super Bowl. I know its been done in the past with a game manager or average quarterback but it is far and few between. The Steelers struggled to get a ball hawking safety for so long, it would be disappointing to see Minkah leave, even though he isn't the best tackler in the NFL.

Pappy

You assume we can't get a Mahommes, Josh Allen, etc. in the draft where we get him on a "cheap" first contract. If that guys becomes the next franchise QB, we will be at the end of Watt's contract and it will likely be coming off the books.

If TJ continues to perform at a high level, a trade is also always a possibility

I see no downside to this contract

[Northern_Blitz]

The manageable quarterback cap hit, in all likelihood, prevent them from getting to a Super Bowl. I know its been done in the past with a game manager or average quarterback but it is far and few between. The Steelers struggled to get a ball hawking safety for so long, it would be disappointing to see Minkah leave, even though he isn't the best tackler in the NFL.

Pappy

GM's job description is something like:
1) Acquire better than average to elite talent.
2) Retain better than average to elite talent.

Like Watt, it will be worth giving Minkah a 2nd contract because he is an elite player.

Elite players make most of the big plays across the league.

Because of this I think we'll continue to see an erosion of the "middle class" player in the NFL.

Pay elite guys big money...until they aren't elite anymore. Then trade them (or at least let contracts expire) without getting too bogged down by the sentimental value.

Pay everyone else as close to the minimum as you can.

Hope your draft picks play very well while on cheap contracts and that you stay relatively healthy...and get lucky in a single game elimination tournament.

[Northern_Blitz]

You assume we can't get a Mahommes, Josh Allen, etc. in the draft where we get him on a "cheap" first contract. If that guys becomes the next franchise QB, we will be at the end of Watt's contract and it will likely be coming off the books.

If TJ continues to perform at a high level, a trade is also always a possibility

I see no downside to this contract

I think the downside is something like: elite guy with big cap hit gets hurt. And the cap hit of that guy is probably the reason the depth isn't great.

But that's the risk of playing a violent sport.

[Oviedo]

I think the downside is something like: elite guy with big cap hit gets hurt. And the cap hit of that guy is probably the reason the depth isn't great.

But that's the risk of playing a violent sport.

That's just part of business. Can't let elite talent go away cause the might get hurt.

[Captain Lemming]

GM's job description is something like:
1) Acquire better than average to elite talent.
2) Retain better than average to elite talent.

Like Watt, it will be worth giving Minkah a 2nd contract because he is an elite player.

Elite players make most of the big plays across the league.

Because of this I think we'll continue to see an erosion of the "middle class" player in the NFL.

Pay elite guys big money...until they aren't elite anymore. Then trade them (or at least let contracts expire) without getting too bogged down by the sentimental value.

Pay everyone else as close to the minimum as you can.

Hope your draft picks play very well while on cheap contracts and that you stay relatively healthy...and get lucky in a single game elimination tournament.

Actually, when was the last time a team was rewarded with a championship for paying one player an amount disproportionate to the cap. When has being able to boast about having the "highest paid..." resulted in a trophy?

Pay elite guys big money? Absolutely. Pay a ludicrous amount? I just don't see a history of recent success there.

Think about it.

Truth is Championships are created just the opposite way.

Abundance of talent, not a couple of overpaid superstars.

[Northern_Blitz]

That's just part of business. Can't let elite talent go away cause the might get hurt.

Agree 100%

[Northern_Blitz]

Actually, when was the last time a team was rewarded with a championship for paying one player an amount disproportionate to the cap. When has being able to boast about having the "highest paid..." resulted in a trophy?

Pay elite guys big money? Absolutely. Pay a ludicrous amount? I just don't see a history of success there.

Think about it.

So all we have to do is wait a year or two? Because guys don't remain the highest paid player at X position for long.

[Mr.wizard]

I’m sorry to be that guy but we are going to regret this contract if we don’t win a SB this year.

I dont thinks so, signing him now is the right move, and this also makes me think the Rudolph nor Haskins will be the future QB. More likely they draft a QB and play him on a rookie deal.

[NorthCoast]

I dont thinks so, signing him now is the right move, and this also makes me think the Rudolph nor Haskins will be the future QB. More likely they draft a QB and play him on a rookie deal.

If they draft a rookie QB no way they start him in his first season. It's either MR or DH for at least a couple years.

[D Rock]

The Annual Average is going to have to be huge, because the Steelers don't give out a lot of guaranteed money. Just the signing bonus I think.

Pick your poison. Big yearly number with flexibility, or being on the hook for a ton of guaranteed and potentially dead money at some point.


One thing is for sure - TJ's contract will tell us a lot about how the team viewed and valued TJ's contributions compared to Bud Dupree, who got 16.5 M/yr for 5 years, with 33.75M guaranteed.

[feltdizz]

The Annual Average is going to have to be huge, because the Steelers don't give out a lot of guaranteed money. Just the signing bonus I think.

Pick your poison. Big yearly number with flexibility, or being on the hook for a ton of guaranteed and potentially dead money at some point.


One thing is for sure - TJ's contract will tell us a lot about how the team viewed and valued TJ's contributions compared to Bud Dupree, who got 16.5 M/yr for 5 years, with 33.75M guaranteed.

I think letting Dupree go told us how they valued TJ’s contributions.

[feltdizz]

I think the downside is something like: elite guy with big cap hit gets hurt. And the cap hit of that guy is probably the reason the depth isn't great.

But that's the risk of playing a violent sport.

it is.. but that is something we can’t control.

I think the other concern is Watt simply doesn’t have the same impact against teams like Cleveland where he had insane regular season stats his first few years. If teams follow the Browns blueprint and our secondary misses Hilton and Nelson it could neutralize some of the things that helped make Watt shine.