T.J. Watt on Pittsburgh Steelers megadeal: 'I'm built for this'

Pittsburgh Steelers star linebacker T.J. Watt agreed to a new megadeal on Friday afternoon, as he inked a four-year contract extension worth more than $112 million, making him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL.

Watt’s contract extension with the Steelers pays an average of $28.003 million per year, with $80 million guaranteed at signing.

The Steelers were involved in intense contract negotiations with Watt for much of the summer. Steelers’ owner Art Rooney announced last month that he wanted to get a deal done before the 2021 season; on Friday, Rooney and Watt made good on that promise.

According to Watt, there’s no place he’d rather be.

“Man, I’ve been dealing with pressure my whole life. I’m built for this,” Watt said. “And I truly believe that nothing monetary will change me as a person. The work that I put in will not change. It will only grow.”

Watt, a 2017 first-round pick out of Wisconsin, has only improved on the pass-rushing prowess he displayed with the Badgers. He’s been named to three Pro Bowls in four NFL seasons, two first-team All-Pro mentions and one second team All-Pro distinction. Watt finished the 2020 season as the NFL’s sacks leader, and he’s notched 49.5 sacks in four seasons.

“It’s my job to prove all these people that have put this amount of money to me and stood on the table to say they want me here, to prove them right,” Watt said. “I know I can do it. I know exactly what it takes. I’ve been doing it my whole life. It’s just about continuing to do it and staying hungry. And I guarantee everybody here right now and everybody in this building, I am still hungry.”

It appears that Watt hardly ever considered leaving Pittsburgh, despite the possibility of getting more guaranteed money elsewhere. When he inked the deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Watt went against the advice of his agents, who believed he could have negotiated more money. Schefter said that Watt stormed into Art Rooney’s office, despite ongoing negotiations, signed the contract and excused himself to go workout.

“When you go through something like this, and you’re trying to stand up for what you believe in and you’re doing it by yourself, having reassurance from the people that you care about their opinion the most means a lot,” Watt said. “There are definitely some moments through this whole process where you do feel like you’re almost by yourself, and that’s why it’s so important that those guys said those nice things.”