Steelers OLB T.J. Watt contract snag comes down to guaranteed money
The Pittsburgh Steelers and OLB T.J. Watt have been in contract talks for the duration of the entire offseason. The numerous reports were that the two sides were “very close” on a new deal.
Fast forward to today and nothing materialized. Watt, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal is seeking to be the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL. Those bragging rights currently belong to Chicago Bears four-time All-Pro EDGE Khalil Mack.
However, I already broke down my game grades as to Watt’s market value and why he should reset the market. If you missed that in-depth analysis, you can click on the article above or click here for full details.
Premiere pass rushers don’t grow on trees. Watt is a generational talent. But the holdup isn’t so much about the years on his contract as it is the guaranteed money.
To put that in perspective, not all contracts are created equal. Some players will bet on themselves by taking less money upfront and then backload the contract in the remaining years ahead.
Others, like Watt, are seeking front-loaded money, as their All-Pro play exceeded their rookie deal. We’ve seen it most recently with San Francisco 49ers MLB Fred Warner and then Indianapolis Colts ILB Darius Leonard.
Furthermore, when peeling back layers of the onion to get to the core, it really all comes down to guarantees. The NFL operates a hard cap and players understand there are no guarantees in life. The second contract is in all likelihood their ticket to securing their livelihoods.
On any given play, an NFL player can have his career derailed by injury. Watt and his camp understand this. It’s likely the reason why he hasn’t agreed to the Steelers’ demands.
According to Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Network, she shed some insight this morning on two traditions the Steelers operate from. The first is the lack of fully guaranteed money protection for injured players after year one. The second which is a known fact, the Steelers don’t negotiate contracts during in-season play.
When evaluating the comparables, Mack reset the market by inking a six-year, $141M deal with $90M in guarantees ($60M due at signing). That contract was signed three years ago.
Watt is likely requesting more guaranteed especially after signing. What’s that baseline number? That remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, if Watt doesn’t get a contract done in the next few days, he will be playing in a contract year, auditioning for the other 31 NFL teams.
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