T.J. Watt ended his contract dispute with the Pittsburgh Steelers by agreeing to a record-setting extension Thursday, one which ties him to the organization for three more years at a cost of $123 million.
The deal includes $108 million in fully guaranteed money and averages $41 million per season, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. It's now the second time in his career he's achieved that financial feat.
We'll take a look at the top 10 highest-paid non-quarterbacks in the NFL, in terms of average annual value, following Watt's historic extension in Pittsburgh.
Player
Team
Contract Length
Contract Value
Average Annual Value
T.J. Watt
Pittsburgh Steelers
Three Years
$123 million
$41 million
Ja’Marr Chase
Cincinnati Bengals
Four Years
$161 million
$40.25 million
Myles Garrett
Cleveland Browns
Four Years
$160 million
$40 million
Danielle Hunter
Houston Texans
One Year
$36.5 million
$36.5 million
Maxx Crosby
Las Vegas Raiders
Three Years
$106.5 million
$35.5 million
Justin Jefferson
Minnesota Vikings
Four Years
$140 million
$35 million
CeeDee Lamb
Dallas Cowboys
Four Years
$136 million
$34 million
Nick Bosa
San Francisco 49ers
Five Years
$170 million
$34 million
DK Metcalf
Pittsburgh Steelers
Four Years
$132 million
$33 million
Garrett Wilson
New York Jets
Four Years
$130 million
$32.5 million
Watt gets the edge over Ja'Marr Chase, who re-upped with the Bengals this offseason on a deal with an average annual value of $40 million.
Watt's deal comes in the wake of the Jets getting a couple of key deals done, making Garrett Wilson the 10th highest-paid non-QB in the league with a four-year, $130 million deal and rewarding Sauce Gardner as the top earning cornerback in the league with a four-year, $120.2 million extension.
Of course, in terms of the NFL's highest earning players, quarterbacks dominate the list, with Cowboys star Dak Prescott leading the charge with an average annual value of $60 million on his deal.
Watt is now tied to the Steelers for a few seasons longer, and he'll be competing to win his second Defensive Player of the Year, an award he's been in the mix for virtually every year since 2019.
