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The Pittsburgh Steelers officially kicked off their 2025 training camp with plenty of media attention from day one, largely thanks to their star linebacker, T.J. Watt. Months before finalizing his historic three-year, $123 million contract extension, Watt stirred speculation across the league with a cryptic Instagram post — a photo of himself in full Steelers uniform holding up a peace sign.
The photo immediately set off a wave of speculation. Some viewed it as a farewell message, others as a hint at a potential trade. However, speaking with reporters on Wednesday during the start of training camp at Saint Vincent College, Watt clarified that the post was a calculated joke.
“Sometimes it's just fun to have fun with the narratives out there,” Watt explained. “Because obviously I'm very in tuned with what's going on with negotiations and how things are going. And it's fun to see what you guys are all writing, thinking that things are one way even though they're completely a different way. It's fun. Especially when it's early in the offseason, to kinda throw something out there and see what happens, and it stirred things up way more than I ever thought it would.”
While the post created some tension during the contract process, Watt admitted that even he wasn't sure if it had any real impact.
“I don't know. That's the great thing about negotiations is you never know what works,” he said. “I'm sure both sides have things that they've done and that they've used as tools and chess pieces throughout the process, and we'll never know what worked and what didn't.”
Ultimately, the Steelers secured Watt's future by making him the highest-paid non-quarterback. Watt acknowledged the magnitude of the deal but emphasized that his proper focus remains on football.
“It's hard to wrap my head around it, but right now it's crazy to me. But more than anything, I want to play football. … There's so much more that I can give, that I want to give,” he said to Sports Illustrated.
During the offseason, Watt skipped mandatory minicamp, later explaining that he didn't want to disrupt his personal training schedule to fly in and leave again a few days later.
Now, with a smile and a record-breaking contract in hand, Watt appears fully ready to lead the Steelers' defense into what they hope will be a serious Super Bowl push in 2025.
