The T.J. Watt contract extension saga seems stuck in neutral.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Steelers and Watt are “far apart.” It seems unlikely that negotiations are taking place, or that Watt is willing to negotiate.

Watt wants to top what Myles Garrett gets from Cleveland, specifically more than $40 million per season and more than $88.8 million fully guaranteed. He is unlikely to budge off that.

That’s a problem: The Steelers don’t offer guarantees past a contract’s first year. Should a 30-year-old edge rusher with fading stats and no playoff wins be the exception to that rule?

Watt thinks so. He measures himself by money and stats.

Watt has to. He doesn’t win.

Multiple factors probably figure into Watt’s obstinance, including the five-year, $150 million extension that wideout DK Metcalf got from the Steelers before ever taking a snap for the team.

But first and foremost is Watt’s obsession with Garrett.

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Watt’s fixation on Garrett has been there since Garrett got the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, an award Watt felt he deserved (and probably did).

Watt skipped that season’s NFL Honors shindig in Las Vegas when he learned he wouldn’t be winning that award. He posted his disappointment on Twitter: “Nothing I’m not used to.”

Now Watt wants to get paid more than Garrett.

Or is it about being the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL?

Either way, Watt is asking for more than $40 million per.

But there’s no good reason for the Steelers to acquiesce.

Should the Steelers overpay Watt because Cleveland is overpaying Garrett? What’s Garrett got to do with Watt’s value to the Steelers?

Conventional wisdom holds that Watt would not fetch a first-round pick in a trade. If that’s true, how is Watt worth $40 million per?

Watt had no sacks in 10 of 18 games last year, no stats at all in the last two games. Watt seems to be in decline, however slight. He still dominates games. Just not as many.

Watt apologists bleat about him always getting double-teamed or chipped. That’s still going to happen if Watt gets paid what he wants.

Watt is OK in coverage and run defense. No better. He’s overrated in that regard. He’s fairly close to being one-dimensional.

The Steelers have Watt under contract for one more year and could franchise him for the following two seasons if his performance merits. That’s the course of action that most benefits the Steelers: going year-by-year. Watt wouldn’t like it. But the Steelers have all the leverage.

Watt could refuse to play. But he’d have to be available for at least six games to burn off his remaining contracted year.

At what point do the citizens turn on Watt?

At what point do the Steelers look to trade him?

If the Steelers could get a first-round pick for Watt, they should jump at the chance. They might have to trade up in the first round of next year’s draft to get their long-term quarterback, so the Steelers need all the draft capital they can accrue.

Or they could just hope that Will Howard is the answer.

The Steelers aren’t going to win a playoff game this season. Watt’s presence or absence won’t affect that.

Every ex-player with a microphone supports giving Watt the bag.

“Pay the man” is a frequent phrase, usually said with great gravitas.

You get the occasional callback to Teddy KGB in “Rounders”: “Pay him. Pay that man his money.” Delivered via bad Russian accent.

J.J. Watt campaigns relentlessly on his brother’s behalf whenever he gets a mic.

But J.J. provides a reason to not pay T.J.: If you believe in genetics, J.J.’s body broke down at 27. He only played 71 of 112 games after that, getting a lot of cash he didn’t earn.

You compensate a player for what he’s going to do, not what he already did.

That’s what the Steelers should consider most when it comes to what they pay T.J. Watt. Not how much Myles Garrett makes. Or what Micah Parsons might get from Dallas.

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