It’s not a secret that Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt has had consecutive down seasons by his standards.
After leading the NFL with 19 sacks in 2023, Watt had a combined 18.5 sacks in 2024 and 2025, posting just seven sacks last season after signing a $123 million extension.
This has led to many wondering if the Steelers could move on from the former Defensive Player of the Year. And while it’s unlikely to happen this year, James Harrison believes it will happen at some point down the road.
“T.J. has a lot of guaranteed money left on his contract,” Harrison said on Deebo and Joe. “T.J. has [20260 and [2027]. I don’t see him going anywhere unless they could potentially get something for him in a trade because I don’t see anybody taking a $42 million cap hit in each year… So, I hate to say it, in all reality, I would see them releasing him in [2028], along with him being 34 at the time.”
The Steelers would eat an astounding $94 million in dead cap should they release Watt in 2026. That number drops to $52 million in 2027, and then all the way down to $10 million in 2028.
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