On Thursday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Steelers finally locked up star pass rusher T.J. Watt with a lucrative new contract.
According to a report from NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Steeles signed Watt to a four-year contract extension. The deal will reportedly pay him more than $112 million with an average annual value of over $28 million.
The deal also includes $80 million guaranteed at signing. Watt becomes the highest-paid defensive player in football.
Of course, Steelers fans were ecstatic to have Watt locked up long term. Even more-so, fans know he’ll be locked in for the upcoming season.
Here’s some of the reaction from around social media.
LETS GO https://t.co/NO4iCA618X
— Michael Beck (@MichaelBeck56) September 9, 2021
Get that bag.
💰💰💰💰💰💰 https://t.co/9cXTHdmDye— Colin Dunlap (@colin_dunlap) September 9, 2021
🚨🚨 Steelers Pay Watt 🚨🚨 https://t.co/aazcdzgPIB
— Ryan Decker (@RDeckerWboy) September 9, 2021
Earlier this week, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger made it clear he wanted Watt to get paid.
“I think T.J. should get whatever the heck he wants,” Big Ben told reporters on Wednesday. “He’s arguably the best football player in the game right now, not just on defense but in general.”
“I’ve been through a few negotiations here with contracts and one of the reasons I took less money was so that guys like him could get paid,” Roethlisberger continued. “He needs to get paid. He deserves every penny that he wants and asks for. T.J. Watt is that guy that should get whatever he wants.”
Well, Roethlisberger got his wish on Thursday afternoon – just a few days before the Steelers face off against the Buffalo Bills.
The post NFL World Reacts To T.J. Watt Contract News appeared first on The Spun.