The Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly “optimistic” about signing T.J. Watt to a new contract ahead of the 2021 NFL season, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
However, Watt’s availability for Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills could be jeopardized if a deal is not finalized soon.
“Watt has not been practicing in full with his team all preseason and this has been hard on Watt, I’m told, because he’s a football guy all the way. The man is frustrated. He wants to be out there, but he knows the business and he’s going to need to be the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL, or at least around there,” Fowler said Sunday on Sports Center. “The Steelers know this. They are optimistic that something will get done here in short order, but because of the money involved it’s been a complicated deal.
“And so, if something’s not done in the next, say, the next 48-to-72 hours, he’s definitely going to be in jeopardy of missing Week 1 because the Steelers stay tried-and-true to guys needing to practice in order to play. He’s been out there in individual drills and things like that, but they need more.”
