The Pittsburgh Steelers have been trying to figure out if Aaron Rodgers will be their quarterback next season, but they have some bigger fish to fry on the other side of the ball. T.J. Watt recently posted a cryptic Instagram post of himself throwing up a peace sign, and many are wondering what it could possibly mean.
Though it could seriously mean nothing, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport took a guess on what could be going on with Watt and the Steelers.
“T.J. Watt is in a contract negotiation situation with the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Rapoport said. “We've seen several top edge rushers get paid. Myles Garrett topping $40 million, we still have Micah Parsons needing to get paid, Trey Hendrickson needs to get paid. T.J. Watt is set to make just $20 million this year is in that category.
From @GMFB: Evaluating TJ Watt’s cryptic instagram post. pic.twitter.com/MjaIzArgeA
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 10, 2025
“Generally, when a player makes a social media post, it is because contract negotiations aren't going as well as anybody had hoped. If things were all wrapped up, then this would be more like this [thumbs up] and less like this [peace sign].”
Article Continues BelowThere's a good chance that Watt made that post strictly because of his contract negotiations, and it makes sense. Watt is one of the premier defenders in the league, and all the other top players at his position are set or already have a big payday.
Last season, Watt finished with 61 tackles, 11.5 sacks, and six forced fumbles. He was one of the more disruptive edge rushers in the league, and there's no doubt that he deserves to get paid. Just like most negotiations, they will take time to get done, but in the end, Watt should be satisfied with what he's getting.
The Steelers are always known for having a top-tier defense, and Watt usually leads the way for them. Letting one of your key players go would be tough, and that's something Steelers fans don't want to see.
Hopefully, things will work out in Watt's favor, while the Steelers still try to wait and see where Rodgers will decide to play next season. As of now, it looks like the Steelers are the frontrunners to sign him, but he hasn't given an indication of what he'll do.