T.J. Watt might not have won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award last weekend, but that's not going to matter when it comes time to pay him.
Watt is under contract for the 2021 season at $10.089 million, what his fifth-year option will pay him. That ranks 22nd in the NFL in terms of edge rusher cap costs next season. And that's before he's also surpassed by a number of free agents, including teammate Bud Dupree. Dupree figures to make much more than that on the open market.
Given that Watt has increased his sack numbers in each of his four NFL seasons, including recording a league-best 15 in 2020, the Steelers might want to at least make an attempt to negotiate a long-term deal with the 26-year-old sooner rather than later.
What might such a deal cost?
The Chargers' Joey Bosa signed a five-year, $135-million contract extension before last season that included $78 million fully guaranteed and a $35 million signing bonus. That averages out to $27 million per year and will likely be the starting point for where Watt's negotiations will start.
That deal eclipsed the 5-year, $125-million deal signed by Myles Garrett last year as the most lucrative for an edge rusher.
So, can the Steelers fit such a deal under their current salary cap?
Perhaps. But it will be tricky. And they might even be able to save some cap space in 2021 -- which they need -- to do so.
By signing Watt to a long-term extension that kicks in immediately, the Steelers could lower his 2021 salary to $1 million as the Chargers did for Bosa and the Browns did with Garrett.
But even with that, Bosa's cap hit in 2020 came in at $15 million, while Garrett, who was the first-overall pick the year Watt was selected 30th by the Steelers, had a cap hit of $10.126 million. His cap hit for 2021, the first year his new deal kicks in, is $9.352 million.
What was the difference? It came in the guaranteed money.
The Chargers gave Bosa a roster bonus of $7 million in addition to his $35 million signing bonus and $1 million salary, meaning he pocketed $43 million in 2020. The Browns only gave Garrett a signing bonus of $21 million. But they fully guaranteed $100 million of his contract.
The Steelers have never been big on giving a lot of guaranteed money to players -- with Ben Roethlisberger being one of the exceptions -- which was part of the issue they had with their offer to Le'Veon Bell in 2018. But if they want to sign Watt without a massive signing bonus, which would kill their cap, they might need to do so.
And they can look north to how Cleveland structured Garrett's deal as a way to get it done. By giving Watt a modest signing bonus -- at least by comparison to some of the big money given out to other players -- but guaranteeing the contract in the future, the Steelers could actually lower Watt's cap number for 2021. And they could do so while giving him a long-term deal that will keep him in Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future.
MORE STEELERS
• Be wary of reports that are being pushed right now regarding this or that team's interest in a potential free agent. Teams cannot talk about any player that is under contract with another franchise. To do so would be tampering. And player contracts run through the start of the new league year, which is March 17. So, in the majority of the cases where you see something that says, "Team A is interested in Player B," it's the agent putting that information out there to drive the price of his player up. Such was the case last week with the Steelers being interested in the Packers' Aaron Jones. Notice how there were several teams mentioned in that "report." That's coming straight from Jones' agent, who is trying to create a market for his client. With exactly what money would the Steelers sign Jones, whose market value according to Spotrac is $14.5-million per year? Somebody didn't do their homework on that one. -- Lolley
• No matter where you come down on the idea of the Steelers bringing back Ben Roethlisberger for 2021 or not, what can't be argued that his overall numbers -- 37 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions in 16 games, including the playoffs -- would have been better without all of the dropped passes. The Steelers led the NFL with 48 drops in 2020, which was 15 more than any other quarterback in the league dealt with last season according to NFL NextGen stats. An improved running game would help with that since the Steelers would throw less. But you can bet that will be a point of emphasis this offseason. -- Lolley
PENGUINS
• The Penguins filled two major openings in their front office this week when they hired Ron Hextall as general manager and appointed Brian Burke to the new position of president of hockey operations, but they're still a bit understaffed. Keeping Patrik Allvin, who had served as interim GM after Jim Rutherford resigned last month, as assistant GM was a start, but they probably could use at least one more assistant or associate general manager. If they do add one, Jason Karmanos, who was fired from that position a few months ago after an apparent falling-out with Rutherford, his longtime mentor, is worthy of serious consideration. In addition to his other attributes, Karmanos has a deep knowledge of personnel throughout the organization, which is something it will take time for Hextall and Burke to acquire. Hextall, of course, has to be given the latitude to surround himself with the people he chooses, and there surely are people with whom he has worked in Los Angeles and/or Philadelphia that he'd like to bring into the organization. Chris Pryor, a North American amateur scout with Nashville who was assistant GM, director of player development with the Flyers when Hextall was GM there, is a prime example of someone he figures to hire. Regardless of who he brings in from elsewhere, though, Hextall shouldn't feel compelled to blow up the Penguins' operation and remake it, and there's precedent for taking a conservative approach. Rutherford, for example, didn't clean out the staff when he replaced Ray Shero in 2014, keeping the likes of Jason Botterill, Tom Fitzgerald, Bill Guerin and Allvin on the payroll, and the Penguins were the better for it in the years that followed. At the very least, Hextall should do a patient, thorough assessment of the people around him before deciding who should stay and who he'd prefer to replace. -- Dave Molinari in Uniondale, N.Y.
• While it isn't necessarily Hextall's most pressing concern, at some point, he's going to have to consider whether -- or, more to the point, when -- to swap some bodies between the Penguins' taxi squad and their farm team in Wilkes-Barre. Now that the American Hockey League is up and running, giving players who are on the taxi squad a chance to compete in actual games would keep their skills more sharp than they will be if they do nothing but practice for weeks on end, which means they would be more valuable to the Penguins, if needed. Players who require waivers to go the AHL also need them to be assigned from the major-league roster to the taxi squad, so that shouldn't be an issue when considering such moves, and having their minor-league affiliate in the same state as the parent club means that moving players around wouldn't cause any coronavirus quarantine complications for the Penguins. With forward Frederick Gaudreau having been recalled to the major-league roster Thursday, the taxi squad currently consists of forward Anthony Angello, goalies Maxime Lagace and Alex D'Orio and defenseman Kevin Czuczman.-- Molinari
• Chris Drury, the longtime NHL center and New York Rangers assistant GM, was in the mix for the job that ultimately went to Hextall, and likely would have been a serious contender if he hadn't opted to remove himself from consideration. Now, it's not necessarily a shock that Drury ultimately would opt to remain with the Rangers, who have a promising future, but it was a surprise that he apparently pulled out of the process voluntarily. All indications are that Drury wants to be a GM someday, and it's hard to see what the downside would have been for him to go through the interview and vetting process for as long as possible, if only because that experience could have served him well when a position in which he is truly interested comes along. -- Molinari
• It's been fun seeing the French Canadian Penguins prospects get so excited on social media for P.O Joseph with things like his first NHL game or first goal. I spoke to D'Orio about their relationship, and it turns out they've known each other well before either turned pro. D'Orio was teammates with Joseph's brother, Mathieu, in the QMJHL with the Saint John Sea Dogs.
"Because of his brother, I knew P.O for a bit," D'Orio said. "Every time we played against each other, we'd talk for a bit after every game."
Now that both are in Pittsburgh, they've been spending even more time together. And D'Orio isn't surprised at all to see the way Joseph is playing now.
"Before camp, we came here early, we were together for Christmas and New Year's Eve," he said. "So I'm pretty close to P.O. I knew at one point that he would have a chance. When he got his first game, I was very happy for him, I knew he would do well. I played against him for four years in juniors, so I knew what kind of player he was. Seeing him doing what he's doing now doesn't surprise me at all." -- Taylor
PIRATES
• While the Pirates are “actively preparing” for fans to be welcomed into PNC Park this season, there is nothing official yet, per a team source. Last week the Pirates announced that they will be allowing approximately 25% capacity for their spring training games in LECOM Park, so the club is obviously eager to host fans again, believing it can be done safely. Right now, they are preparing as if fans will be back in the stands this season, once it is deemed possible by the local and state governments and health experts. -- Alex Stumpf
• I wasn’t given a breakdown for when he would reach his bonuses, but all of the $900,000 Brian Goodwin could earn in bonuses this season are based on plate appearances. With only four outfielders on the roster, his odds of making the team are high, and he could earn regular playing time because he can field all three outfield positions. Considering the Pirates' limited options in the outfield, he might even become a starter. Anthony Alford is out of minor league options, so his odds of making the opening day roster are high. If he struggles, that could lead to more starts, and more plate appearances, for Goodwin. Jared Oliva is also in the mix, but it doesn't make sense for the Pirates to put a rookie on the bench when he could play everyday in the minors. -- Stumpf
• To dispel the posts that have made the rounds across social media, no, Trevor Bauer will not be making more than the entire Pirates roster this year. Bauer will earn $40 million from the Dodgers this season. Many cite the Pirates’ payroll at $30 million, but that’s the total of the 11 players who already have signed their 2021 contracts. There are still at least 16 more players who will receive Major League salaries – 15 players to fill out the 26-man roster and then rule 5 pick Jose Soriano, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery and will start the season on the injured list – and even if they all make pre-arbitration salaries, it would bring the team payroll up to $40 million. That could go up a bit more if some of the non-roster invitees make the team, like Goodwin (who has a guaranteed contract of $1.6 million if he makes the team, plus the aforementioned bonuses), catcher Tony Wolters ($1.4 million guaranteed with no potential bonuses) and left-hander Chasen Shreve ($1.5 million guaranteed). With that said, the idea that it was even plausible that one player could make as much as a whole team says more about the Pirates than it does the Dodgers. -- Stumpf
