T.J. Watt Fantasy Stats

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said All-Pro pass-rusher T.J. Watt (lung) has officially been ruled out for the Monday night game in Week 15 against the visiting Miami Dolphins, according to Teresa Varley of the team's official website. Watt had surgery on Thursday to fix a partially collapsed lung and is at home resting comfortably. The 31-year-old outside linebacker will be missing his first game of the year, and it's unclear if he can make it back to face the Detroit Lions in Week 16. The Steelers' defense won't have its leader on the field this Monday, but they'll still be in play for fantasy managers as a streaming unit against the Dolphins in primetime. Nick Herbig will need to pick up the slack as a starter for Pittsburgh's defense with Watt sidelined. Watt has had a down year in 2025 with only seven sacks in 13 starts.

Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro edge rusher T.J. Watt (lung) underwent successful surgery to stabilize and repair his partially collapsed lung. The injury occurred during a dry needling session at the team facility on Wednesday, and while the surgery went well, the timeline for his recovery and return to play is still TBD. Watt's seven sacks and 43 total pressures through 13 games had him on the lowest pace since his 2022 injury-shortened season, and the lowest of any full season since his rookie year. Down year or not, any missed time could have a meaningful impact on an AFC North race that is still very much up in the air.

NFL Insider Tom Pelissero reported that Pittsburgh Steelers superstar linebacker T.J. Watt (lung) is in a local hospital undergoing evaluation of his lung after experiencing discomfort at the team facility on Wednesday. Head coach Mike Tomlin said that Watt's status is really up in the air after not practicing with the team on Thursday. Watt appears to be trending towards missing Week 15 against the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football. This is really tough news for the Steelers (7-6), sitting at the top of the AFC North by one game with only four games left in the NFL regular season. What makes matters even more challenging is that the Steelers' defense has not been good this year, ranking in the bottom half of the league in points and yards allowed, so losing a player of this caliber against a hot Miami Dolphins (6-7) team, which has won four games in a row, will be a challenging task for the Steelers.

Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt (lung) is currently in a local hospital with a lung issue and is undergoing medical evaluation, according to Nick Farabaugh of Penn Live. Watt will not practice on Thursday and could miss the Monday night game against the visiting Miami Dolphins. The 31-year-old seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro has an extra day to recover this week, but his status is firmly up in the air in Week 15. Fantasy managers in IDP leagues will need to have a backup plan in place in case it's not looking good for Watt to play on Monday night. The former first-rounder is the heart and soul of a Pittsburgh defense that has been a disappointment this year. Through 13 games, Watt has 53 tackles (22 solo), only seven sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 18 QB hits, an interception, seven pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.

For the second time in his career, Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro pass-rusher T.J. Watt becomes the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history by reaching an agreement on Thursday on a three-year, $123 million contract extension that includes $108 million fully guaranteed at signing, sources tell ESPN's Adam Schefter. The $41 million per year average is the highest of any non-QB in NFL history. The 30-year-old is a game-wrecker for the Steelers defense, and he's been a Pro Bowler each of the last seven seasons while also being named a first-team All-Pro four times. Watt has led the league in sacks three times and has 108 of them since debuting in 2017. However, he does have a lengthy injury history and totaled only 11.5 sacks in 17 regular-season games after recording 19 in 2023. As long as he can stay healthy, Watt should continue to be one of the best all-around defenders in 2025.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Pittsburgh Steelers and linebacker T.J. Watt aren't close to resolving the ongoing contract dispute. The team wants to keep him. However, there are still some glaring issues regarding a new deal, specifically, length and guaranteed money. The 30-year-old is still a top defensive option despite closing in on a decade of service in the National Football League, most recently finishing the 2024 campaign with 11.5 sacks while totaling 61 tackles. With training camp commencing in a few weeks, there is a greater sense of urgency for a deal to get done. If Watt isn't on the field come Week 1, it won't be an ideal scenario for a Steelers defense that is projected to be one of the most potent fantasy units in 2025.

Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro pass-rusher T.J. Watt is due to around $21 million in the last year of his current contract, but the question for the Steelers is whether they are willing to pay a player that will turn 31 this fall upwards of $40 million per year on a new extension. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero believes that the two sides will get something done before either training camp or the start of the 2025 regular season, and when it is done, it will reset the edge-rush market. Watt has made the Pro Bowl each of the last seven seasons and has been an All-Pro four times in his career while leading the NFL in sacks in three of the last five years. The downside is he has an extensive injury history and dropped to 11.5 sacks in 17 regular-season starts a year ago. The Steelers and Watt are currently in a stalemate, but with Pittsburgh all-in on 2025, it's highly unlikely that Watt will be traded.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac said on the Rich Eisen Show that Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro pass-rusher T.J. Watt is in a stalemate with the team regarding a contract extension because he "wants to be the highest-paid non-quarterback" in the league. Watt will turn 31 years old in October, so the Steelers don't want to do an extension for anything less than five years in order to spread the money out in terms of guarantees and a signing bonus. The Steelers want to bring Watt, one of the most disruptive defenders in the league, but they know it's not a smart business decision after they noticed a decline in his performance last year when he dropped from a league-leading 19 sacks in 2023 to 11.5 last year in 17 regular-season starts. The Steelers usually don't play hard ball with their stars, but this is something that could stretch well into training camp and the preseason.

Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt has been in the thick of trade rumors this offseason, and the team's activity on the trade market on Monday has only fanned the flames of those rumors. However, NFL.com's Bobby Kownack reports that the Steelers have no intention of trading Watt and remain focused on agreeing to a deal with the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Watt is heading into the final season of his four-year, $112 million contract extension that he signed ahead of the 2021 campaign, and the Wisconsin product has tallied at least 11.5 sacks in each of the three full seasons he has played in since. Watt is one of the premier defensive players in the NFL, so it would be a surprise if the Steelers did not eventually come to an agreement with their 2017 first-round selection. In 121 career games, Watt has tallied 462 tackles (331 solo), 108 sacks, 33 forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries, seven interceptions, 50 pass deflections, and 75.5 run stuffs.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that despite the Pittsburgh Steelers' unwillingness to trade superstar pass rusher T.J. Watt, the 30-year-old remains unhappy with his contract situation. Furthermore, Schefter notes that some sources believe "outside team interest is likely to increase given today's trade." The Steelers and Dolphins stole headlines on the first day of NBA free agency when the two teams agreed to a blockbuster deal involving defensive backs Jalen Ramsey and Minkah Fitzpatrick. However, Pittsburgh has made it clear they want Watt to retire in the Steel City. It'd likely take a massive offering even to pique the organization's interest, and while it's possible, there has been no indication that the Steelers will forfeit his rights. Watt is in the final season of a four-year, $112 million extension he signed back in 2021.