Contract negotiations in the NFL often boil down to one simple question: “What have you done for me lately?” It’s a fair question — one that every general manager must ask before inking a massive deal. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, that moment came this offseason when general manager Omar Khan and his staff decided to extend T.J. Watt on a new three-year deal worth $41 million per year.
At the time, no one in Pittsburgh wanted to imagine a world where Watt wasn’t wearing black and gold. His relentless motor, leadership, and ability to single-handedly shift games had made him the face of the franchise’s defensive identity.