The Steelers have been discussing a new contract with outside linebacker T.J. Watt with the expectation they will come to some agreement with the four-time All-Pro and former NFL Defensive Player of the Year before the start of the regular season, sources have told Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

However, that doesn’t mean there might not be some resistance and not-so-minor stumbling blocks along the way — and for good reason.

Watt is heading into the final year of the five-year, $112 million contract ($80 million guaranteed) he signed in 2021 that made him the highest-paid defensive player in the league.

But two developments in the offseason have likely upped his asking price.

The first was when Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, was given a four-year, $160 million extension with nearly $124 million guaranteed.

The other came when the Steelers traded for wide receiver DK Metcalf and gave him a five-year, $150 million deal with $60 million guaranteed — the largest total contract the franchise has ever handed a player.

So where does that leave Watt, their best defensive player and three-time team MVP?

That’s what is going to be determined. The question, though, is how far are the Steelers willing to go? And for how long?

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