Tension Growing Between Steelers and T.J. Watt

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers and superstar edge rusher T.J. Watt made a surprising headline this week when the All-Pro posted a somewhat cryptic message, sharing a picture of him in a Steelers uniform giving the peace sign.

Many wondered if it meant that negotiations between he and the Steelers weren't going well. Watt is set to enter the final year of his contract and has watched Myles Garrett sign a deal for $40 million per year, and Maxx Crosby sign for $35 million per year.

Well, apparently, there might actually be something there. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said on Good Morning Football that maybe we should be reading into Watt's message.

"When a player makes a cryptic social media post, it's almost never nothing," Rapoport said. "So lets assume for the sake of argument, for the sake of me actually having a reason to talk about this, it is something."

Rapoport believes it's "far-fetched" to believe Watt simply posted the picture because he looked good in it.

"Generally, when a player makes a social media post that forces us to talk about it on TV like we’re doing right now, it’s because contract negotiations are not going as well as anybody had hoped," Rapoport said. "I think we can safely say that contract negotiations between T.J. Watt and the Steelers are not off to a rip-roaring start. Doesn’t mean they won’t get there; they’ve gotten there before. He is a great player who deserves any penny."

Steelers insider Mark Kaboly also believes there's something behind the post.

"After talking to people, I'd keep an eye on this T.J. Watt contract situation moving forward a little more closely. It doesn't appear that the IG picture (below) he posted yesterday was just by chance. I'd imagine an extension is still going to eventually get done, but the price tag just might be a tad bit higher than some anticipated," Kaboly wrote on X.

Pittsburgh wants to sign Watt to an extension that keeps him in Pittsburgh long-term. They've made it clear they want him to retire a Steeler, and will try to. But right now, it doesn't appear negotiations are going well.

Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI to get all your daily Pittsburgh Steelers news, interviews, breakdowns and more!