Pittsburgh Steelers star linebacker TJ Watt signed a massive 4-year, $112 million extension on Thursday, and no one could be more excited for the news than Watt himself. Though Steelers fans will certainly be rejoicing after locking up their already two-time All-Pro linebacker, TJ let it be known on Twitter that, in addition to the lucrative money that will make him the NFL's highest-paid defensive player, he loves the city of Pittsburgh and is happy to stay:

In case you didn't know, as I didn't (forgive me Pittsburgh fans), Yinz is slang for you up in Pennsylvania.

It's rare to find a talent like Watt, who has made the Pro Bowl in 3 of his first 4 seasons in the league, and already led the league in forced fumbles (8, 2019), sacks (15, 2020), and tackles for loss (23, 2020) on separate occasions in that short time span.

He's only 26, meaning that his contract will run through the duration of his prime years as a pass rusher, which certainly gives him a shot at living up to or even passing his older brother JJ as the supreme pass rusher in the Watt family. Remember, JJ eclipsed 17 sacks in 3 out of 4 seasons from 2012-2015, missed the vast majority of the next two seasons, and then came back to get 16 sacks the next year. Ridiculous.

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Steelers, NFL Draft, Mel Kiper Jr., Graham Barton, Duke football, Graham Barton and Steelers logo with Steelers stadium in the background

Scotty White Ā·

Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan next to Pittsburgh Steelers edge defender Alex Highsmith. Khan has a speech bubble that says ā€œThank you, Alex.ā€

Ben Strauss Ā·

Courtland Sutton wearing a Steelers jersey next to a Steelers logo

Dan Fappiano Ā·

Whatever the case, it was a wise idea for Pittsburgh to lock up one of their defensive centerpieces for the future, as he and Minkah Fitzpatrick anchored in a defensive that, in 2020, ranked top three in yards allowed, points allowed, and takeaways. They were arguably the most dominant unit across all of football.

As for the Steelers as a team, they look to repeat last season's early season success, as they started the season off with 11 straight wins, but faltered eventually to lose 5 of their last 6 games, including a brutal loss to the Browns in the playoffs. With TJ Watt and Co. back in the fold for Year 2 together, things could certainly turn out better in 2021.