Will TJ Watt ever be worth this last contract?

I was happy when he signed because I thought he still had something left in the tank. Now I wish they would have traded him to get a decent return. He said previously he would be willing to move around the line but so far he hasn’t done that more than once or twice a game. His play this year has really dropped off and it is not injury related. It seems like a lack of effort more than anything. Maybe the fire is gone and he is coasting along now. 4 sacks in 7 games is very out of character for someone of his talent. SDOT brought up that it correlates with the birth of his son. I don’t think I have ever agreed with him on anything but there may be a point there. Whatever it is, it’s not what the contract is worth.

 

I'm not sure what Watt having a kid has to do with his lack of production, last I checked father time is undefeated. He better step it up because he's on pace for like 10 sacks not even close to being worth 41 million a year.

 

TBD.


T.J. Watt has been MIA this season for certain. That said, I dont think this is merely father time at work. Not having him move around as he should is also a major factor.



Myles Garrett does this. Micah Parsons does this. Maxx Crosby does this. Hell, even Khalil Mack did this a season ago; a much older player who can still keep up with the best. Before he got hurt, Nick Bosa did as well. T.J. Watt doesnt.



This isnt solely on T.J. Watt. This befalls on coaching. While T.J. Watt isnt blameless, both Austin and Tomlin have failed him thus far in 2025; the entire defense no less.

 

Not a chance.

 

They moved Myles around for sure, but he was completely destroying whomever they had on him. I think the debate is over.

 

Having a child will definitely change your life. Maybe he is being very careful these days where as before he was more aggressive. I am not saying that is the reason but that it could factor into it.

 

Used to have a high security clearance. We even had a psychologist where I worked. I would sometimes bs with him. He told me one time that there are a few events that have so much impact on your psyche that he thought that they should redo the psychologist interview for your security clearance when people went thru them. Those events were getting married, getting divorced and having a kid. He said having a kid was the one that affected people the most.

Don't know if this applies to TJ, but you can't just ignore personal life events when you are assessing why someone is performing the way they are. People do not leave their bags at the door when they walk into work.

 

Ya, having kids most definitely changes perspective on life and priorities. Maybe his topmost (and only?) priority in life was football before, but I'm willing to bet that football is no longer his highest priority.

 

I hate to be the a-hole that brings this up but I will. If your feeling is he will not be worth this or his last contract then I must ask was Ben? They got way way way more creative in order to justify that final amount he was due even when it might have been more clear he was done.

 

Ben certainly lost a step after he got married and had kids.

 

This conversation is about TJ Watt, not Ben. Roethlisberger dropped off for sure but at least he won playoff games and SB’s which somewhat provided some justification for the final bigger contract. TJ on the other hand seemed to disappear in the post season and hasn’t even won a playoff game.

 

I blame the scheme for failing to adjust to opposing offenses. QBs are just getting the ball to the WRs too fast. We have to take that first read away so TJ and Highsmith can feast. I think its too soon to say he's lost a step and isn't worth the deal. If QBs are holding the ball 4-5 seconds per play and he's still not making plays, then yes I'd agree that he's lost a step. My biggest beef with our 4 man front is the lack of batted balls. We're not blocking pass lanes atm.