T.J. Watt is sticking with the Steelers. But will Pittsburgh use this as inspiration to take the next step forward?

T.J. Watt’s recent contract extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers fixes the spotlight onto the organisation ahead of the 2025 season. Can the linebacker live up to his contract and help the Steelers defence remain among the league’s best? And can a strong defensive season inspire further progress towards title contention?

(Image Credit to Jason Pohuski/CSM)

The Steelers’ biggest need of the offseason has been fulfilled. 

T.J. Watt, who is seen as the anchor of the Steelers’ defence, has recently agreed to a three-year, 123 million dollar contract extension with Pittsburgh. The deal keeps the star linebacker in the Steel City and, once again, makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. 

And there were a lot of reasons for Pittsburgh to get the T.J. Watt extension done. In 2024, he led the Steelers in sacks with 11.5 to his name, contributed 61 total tackles, 4 defended passes, and six forced fumbles. In terms of where he ranks among league leaders last season, he led the league in forced fumbles and was tied for eighth in sacks; all of which earned him the honour of being a finalist for the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year. 

However, it’s not just T.J. Watt. The Steelers’ defence has been consistently ranked as one of the league’s best, particularly the defensive line that T.J. Watt helps to lead. While the Steelers only ranked 16th in sacks with 40.0 in 2024, they were in the league’s top half in terms of sack yards, which is the distance in yards given up on sacks and is measured by averaging a given team’s sack yards throughout a season. Overall, the Steelers ranked fourth in the league for interceptions with 17 and tenth in passes defended with 77, while also leading the league in forced fumbles and fumble recoveries. 

We are all well aware of how good the Steelers can be defensively, and with the additions of Jalen Ramsey from Miami, Darius Slay from Philadelphia, and Juan Thornhill from Cleveland, this should all serve to reinforce an already dominant Steelers defence. 

But while the T.J. Watt extension should all but secure Pittsburgh’s place as a playoff contender for the next three years, whether they can do anything in them is another question. That being said, the Steelers did make the playoffs in four of the last five seasons. But in each of those appearances, they lost their first playoff game; the first being a 48-37 loss to Cleveland in the 2020 playoffs, followed by a 42-21 loss to Kansas City in 2021, a 31-17 loss to Buffalo in 2023, and finally a 28-14 loss to Baltimore in the most recent playoff tournament. 

As for the offence? That’s not much better. In 2024, the Steelers ranked 23rd in net yardage (5,430) and in yards per game (319.4). 3,264 yards came from the pass attack, while the remaining 2,166 came from the ground game. In addition, the Steelers’ offence only put up 380 points throughout the season, putting them at an average of 22.4 points per game. 

While those may appear to be somewhat decent statistics when seen on their own, it’s not enough to put them into the league’s top ten offensive schemes.

To make matters a little more complicated, change in the quarterback room is coming for the second consecutive year. 2023 saw Kenny Pickett named as the starting quarterback, 2024 saw Russell Wilson eventually take his place. Now, 2025 will likely see Aaron Rodgers become the starting quarterback after he had struggled the previous season with the New York Jets. And while Aaron Rodgers does have a pretty strong career resume that puts him as one of the league’s best quarterbacks, it’s clear that his best days might just be behind him. 

In terms of an outlook for 2025, it’s hard to say. Baltimore still looks to be the favourite, not just to win the AFC North but also to claim the AFC’s top seed. Cincinnati’s season could see them as strong as Super Bowl contenders or, if the defence consistently wilts, as weak as a 9-8 team fighting for the final playoff spot. That said, there is almost a 100% chance they finish above Cleveland, who will be in contention for one of the league’s worst records in 2025. 

As for the playoffs? I think they’re still a playoff team. While they do have the 10th hardest schedule, this team is more than capable of winning 9-10 games a year and being a factor for one of the final AFC playoff spots. But once they’re in? Hard to say, though I can’t see them beating Baltimore for the division crown at this time. If they can do well enough in the regular season, maybe they could score a more winnable playoff date with the winner of the AFC South. But I’m not putting my trust in this Steelers team to win a title until they can win a playoff game. 

While my criticism of the Steelers’ offensive and postseason ineptitude will stand for now, I am confident in saying that the Steelers got a much-needed win with the T.J. Watt extension. Not only does it keep Pittsburgh within playoff contention, but it also maintains their status as one of the league’s best defences. 

But can this extension inspire further positive change in the offensive scheme? That could be the key to Pittsburgh’s success in 2025. 

But first, the onus is on T.J. Watt to live up to his huge contract and help the Steelers management and fans to believe that taking the next step towards a Super Bowl title is within the realm of possibility.

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Article written by Noah Guttman