T.J. Watt says he loves Pittsburgh but won’t comment on contract talks with Steelers

The clock has been ticking, in some capacity, for more than a year. But Thursday’s first practice of training camp figuratively means the countdown has started in earnest.

Fifty-two days until the Pittsburgh Steelers’ regular season begins.

Fifty-two days until the team-imposed deadline to ink a contract extension with superstar outside linebacker T.J. Watt.

Will it get done?

“That’s not for me to say,” Watt said from the field at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “And that’s pretty much all I’ll say about it.”

Watt bent that rule over the ensuing seven minutes of the Steelers’ first in-person player media availability in more than 18 months — but barely.

Asked again if he hoped an agreement can be reached by Sept. 12, Watt said: “We will have to wait and see.”

The reigning runner-up in the AP NFL Defensive Player of the year voting, Watt is scheduled to make almost $10.1 million this season under the terms of the fifth-year option the Steelers exercised on him last spring. An extension of four to six years would figure to be worth well more than $100 million and make him one of — if not the — highest-paid defensive players in the league.

That a deal hasn’t been announced yet is not atypical from past contract talks between the Steelers and their superstar players. The self-imposed deadline of the regular-season opener acts as an accelerator for talks that sometimes lead all the way up to the weekend of their Week 1 game.

“I am sure that process will run its course,” coach Mike Tomlin said Thursday of Watt’s contract situation, “and then we will have something to report.”

Watt confirmed he was limited at the first practice of camp but added it was not because of injury. He did individual drills but was not part of team 11-on-11 or 7-on-7 sessions.

“This (season) is a long process, and we are here a week earlier than we normally would (because of the Hall of Fame Game),” Watt said. “I am just trying to progress the proper way. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

“It’s all about acclimating the body the right way … and making sure I am ready for Week 1.”

Watt did not consider a holdout.

“I love this team,” he said. “I love all of the coaches and the staff here and the players, and I am excited to be here. That’s why I am here.

“I love Pittsburgh,” Watt said moments later. “Obviously, I would love to be here (long term). But all of those decisions aren’t really mine to be made. So I am just here right now trying to get better every day.”

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