With 7-time Pro Bowler TJ Watt still waiting for his big-money extension, the Steelers went ahead and brought in reinforcements from the 2025 NFL draft. Watt, who is in line for an extension worth Myles Garrett’s $160M contract with the Browns, still hasn’t had any fruitful talks with the Steelers. Even after his cryptic post made headlines, the Steelers have yet to act upon Watt’s contract extension seriously. Now, judging by Mike Tomlin’s strategy at the draft, Watt’s future in Steel City only looks bleaker than ever. After they chose to add two explosive linebackers at Watt’s position, you can’t seem to ignore whether they really want to keep hold of their future Hall of Fame LB.

Once the Steelers were on the clock at No.123, they just couldn’t pass on the opportunity to draft Ohio State’s standout linebacker Jack Sawyer. His intangibles, winning attitude, and toughness were too good for the Steelers not to bring him in to compete against veteran outside linebacker TJ Watt. Sawyer finished his college career with 138 tackles, 65 of them being solo stops. He also showed incredible athleticism on the D-line, producing 20 sacks. Last season, he had nine sacks and nine tackles for loss, and both of them were his career-highs. So, obviously, the Steelers were bound to fall in love with Sawyer’s defensive acumen.

Mike Tomlin said via the Steelers’ YouTube channel, “Love Jack Sawyer.” But Tomlin’s love for Sawyer goes beyond his productions on the gridiron. The Steelers’ head coach has apparently seen his team’s DNA deeply rooted in Sawyer’s game. “It’s easy to love, not just in terms of his resume but his relationship with the game..how he is viewed and received by his teammates..A lot of these guys represent Steeler DNA, and I think that’s really indicative of Jack Sawyer,” Tomlin revealed.

While Sawyer gets to work as a possible heir apparent to Watt, the Steelers added another linebacker late in the draft. This time, it was a former Steeler, Mark Bruener’s son, Carson Bruener. Mark, who still has close ties with his former club as a member of Tomlin’s staff. Mike wanted to clarify that this ain’t a move made out of nepotism. “I told him when we had him on the phone, we’re on the phone with him because of the merits of his resume and the things he did at Washington,” Tomlin mused.

The Steelers’ boss then went on to add, “Over 100 tackles this year as a starting inside linebacker, displaying great instincts. In 2022 and 2023, he had double-digit special-teams tackles for his football team. It is a worthy resume.” Well, the Steelers do already have Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson playing inside linebacker. Then, there’s Cole Holcomb, Mark Robinson, and newly added Malik Harrison. So, the only plausible way for Carson to get snaps will be through special teams. And having already shown he can be a reliable special-teams player. Bruener might just prove himself to be a valuable member of the Steelers’ special team.

Considering the Steelers were happy to add two rookie linebackers to their defensive setup before this season, Watt’s time in Steel City may end sooner than expected.

TJ Watt’s $160M dream remains on indefinite hold

There’s absolutely no doubt that Watt is hoping for a contract that matches Myles Garrett’s record-breaking deal with the Browns. Given that Watt has had more sacks, 88, than Garrett’s 82 since 2019. He does have the leverage at the negotiation table. The two have almost matched each other’s levels over the past 7 seasons. Garrett has won 6 Pro Bowls, 4 First-Team All-Pro, and the Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. Watt only has one extra Pro Bowl and a DPOY in 2021. Even their age are somewhat similar. Garett will be 30 in December, while Watt will be 31 once the new NFL season kicks off.

Considering that Watt will earn just $21M this year, while Garrett will earn roughly $40M. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the Steelers’ linebacker would want to be treated equally. But even after his cryptic post earlier in April, that had the All-Pro rusher holding a peace sign with no caption in his story. The Steelers are yet to make a stride in sorting out his contract. Later, it was also reported that the Steelers are preferring Aaron Rodgers’ contract over their star edge rusher. So, they have basically left him in a limbo.

There’s almost no positive news surrounding Watt’s contract impasse with the Steelers. Yes, the expectation will be for him to sign a new deal, given his consistent production. But when will that news come? That’s the biggest question.