With T.J. Watt's new deal still not completed, some might think there is some grumbling going on inside the Steelers' locker room regarding the situation.
After all, while his teammates have been toiling away in practice in preparation for their regular season opener Sunday in Buffalo, Watt remained on the sideline -- at least until Wednesday -- working on his own, just as he had done throughout training camp and the preseason.
But according to Ben Roethlisberger, the players remain in full support of their teammate in his quest to become the highest-paid defensive player in the league.
"He’s trying to sign his first big deal," Roethlisberger said Wednesday of Watt. "He’s Defensive Player of the Year. He is. Everyone in this locker room understands and knows that. He should understand and know that. The problem is that when you negotiate contracts, it’s not always two-sided. When the bosses, the higher ups are in charge, there’s only so much you can do. We all feel bad for T.J. Everyone knows how bad he wants to be out there. The guy was here every single day when he probably didn’t need to be, working and busting his butt. He should get taken care of."
The Steelers remain confident they can get a deal completed with Watt, who is slated to earn $10.089 million this season in the final year of his rookie contract. But the clock continues to tick on whether that will happen by the team's self-imposed deadline of the start of the regular season or if Watt's deal will get put on hold until the end of the season.
The Steelers also would have the franchise tag available to them, so it's unlikely Watt will be playing elsewhere in 2022. But his teammates in the locker room obviously would like to see a guy who has finished second and third, respectively, in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting, get rewarded.
Watt, 26, led the NFL with 15 sacks and 23 tackles for a loss in 2020 while also recording 41 quarterback hits. He was recently ranked the ninth-best player in the NFL top 100 on NFL.com by his fellow players. Only one defensive player, the Rams' Aaron Donald, was ranked ahead of him.
Donald edged Watt last season for NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors.
"I think T.J. should get whatever the heck he wants," Roethlisberger said. "He’s arguably the best football player, not just on defense, in the game. I’ve been through a few negotiations on contracts. One of the reasons I took less money was for guys like him to get paid. He needs to get paid. He deserves every penny he wants and asks for. T.J. Watt is that guy who should get whatever he wants."