TJ Watt is now the highest-paid defensive player in the history of the NFL after a massive extension from the Steelers. In a puzzling move (at least in my opinion), the Pittsburgh Steelers extended an aging player in TJ Watt on a massive three-year deal.
This contract honestly feels a lot like them rewarding Watt for what he did for the team rather than future production, as he is getting older and is only going to get worse physically - that is simply how it works in the NFL when a player begins to climb up there in age.
Well, TJ Watt is not a rookie in regards to big-time contracts, and his older brother, future Hall of Famer JJ Watt, had a hilarious reaction to his younger brother's massive deal.
JJ Watt's career earnings just got dwarfed by his younger brother
The extension that TJ Watt just signed is worth $123 million. His older brother, JJ Watt, had career earnings in the NFL of $129.7 million:
I swear, if this guy even lets me begin to reach for my wallet at dinner… https://t.co/R52TsWBgYP
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) July 17, 2025
As of the 2024 NFL Season, TJ Watt has career earnings of $110.9 million, so he will easily pass his older brother. As the NFL grows and time goes on, contracts get bigger and bigger. Watt's deal is worth $41 million per year, which does make him the highest-paid defensive player in the history of the NFL.
Heck, some starting quarterbacks are making $40 million per year an under, so it's clear how imporant a pass rusher is to an NFL team. This was not the first major move that Pittsburgh made this offseason, as they also signed Aaron Rodgers and traded for Jonnu Smith, Jalen Ramsey, and DK Metcalf.
If this team was assembled back in 2020, it would be a superteam and a heavy favorite for the Super Bowl. The one issue with this roster is how old some of these key players are, but TJ Watt is now a lot richer than he was before.