The Jig Is Up: Steelers Offseason, Vol. 26, T.J. Breaks the Bank

Recently I was thinking about my time writing about the Pittsburgh Steelers. Throughout my career doing so, I’ve essentially done it all.

Commentary, news, breaking stories, features and even took a stab at simple film room breakdowns.

The one thing I’ve never done is work on just a random thought type format.

I can’t speak for you, the reader, but I am always thinking about writing and the Steelers. Thinking about different aspects of the team and game. Thanks to reading Myron Cope’s biography I decided to put a unique spin on this type of feature.

Now, for the name of the article, anyone who is familiar with the Styx song “Renegade” should know where it came from. If not, this is where it came from…

The jig is up, the news is out
They finally found me
The renegade who had it made
Retrieved for a bounty
Nevermore to go astray
This’ll be the end today of the wanted man

The jig is up…time for some randomness.

$41 Million is the number

When the Steelers and T.J. Watt came to terms on a new deal, it was reported as a 3-year deal worth $123 million and some change. Shortly after it became a 4-year deal, due to a 3-year extension, worth north of $144 million dollars. The difference? The latter report of a 4-year deal brings an average salary to $36 million dollars. The former deal would be $41 million dollars on average. That’s the number which was announced first, and there’s a reason why…more on that next.

The ego is real

How egotistical are players and their agents? The reason the $41 million was the contract initially released is based on the fact it is more than some other player in the AFC North. Myles Garrett makes an average of $40 million per year on his current contract with the Browns, and making just $1 million more, and by proxy making him the highest non-QB in the league, had to be important to both Watt and his representation.

Yes, this is where we are in the NFL, and the ego with players is not anything new, but extremely real.

No Playoff wins is a fact, but can they win without him?

While most Steelers fans are happy with T.J. Watt being signed and ready to roll before training camp, there are some who aren’t as ecstatic about the decision. Putting that much money into a player who has never helped provide a playoff win is a concern for many, and even the most devout Watt supporter can’t say anything to this simple fact.

T.J. Watt has never helped win a playoff game since he was drafted in 2017.

You can’t change history, it’s a simple fact.

But do you seriously think this team would win a playoff game this season, or in the remote future, without him? In case you forget, the Steelers have a record of 1-10 in games where T.J. Watt does not play. This includes regular season and playoff games. Conversely, the Steelers have a record of 79-40-2 with Watt on the field.

While I understand the rebuttal of Watt never being a part of a playoff victory, I also understand there is a slim-to-none chance they would win one without him.

Did you really think they wouldn’t get a deal done?

For the sect of fans who were disappointed the team signed Watt, did you really think they wouldn’t get a deal done? Maybe it was just me, but I never even imagined the organization would entertain a possible trade. On top of that, I don’t think the team ever envisioned Watt playing in a lame duck season with only one year left on his current contract.

Yes, the team made some trades most didn’t expect this season; however, I wouldn’t put T.J. Watt in the same category as Minkah Fitzpatrick, and definitely not George Pickens, when it comes to how the team views them. Watt is a foundational piece, and the Steelers don’t trade away players they view in this way.

Pressure is on? Is that new?

With the Watt deal now done, the pressure is now on for Watt and the Steelers. He’ll have the pressure to prove the Steelers right for giving him such a huge contract, but is the pressure anything new? Do you not think Watt doesn’t know he hasn’t won a playoff game in his career? Do you not think he realizes this was his last big pay day before he calls it a career?

The pressure has always been there, and the Steelers are hoping Watt and company will stand tall and make the necessary changes to remove some of that pressure in 2025.

Patrick Queen ranked above Cam?!

I didn’t want the entire article to just be about Watt’s contract, so I will share that Steelers defender Patrick Queen made it on the NFL’s Top 100 list at No. 75. Check out the video below:

NFL Top 100 Players of 2025:@Steelers LB Patrick Queen checks in at No. 75! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/vSRGkReWWA

— NFL (@NFL) July 16, 2025

What might have been the most surprising was how the players voted Queen over Cam Heyward, who as No. 83 on the list. Nothing against Queen, but I didn’t think he was anywhere close to Heyward’s level in every aspect last season. Who will be left on the list? It’s hard to imagine many other Steelers outside of T.J. Watt making the list. We’ll keep tabs on this as the regular season approaches…not that it matters.

Player Spotlight

I wanted to start doing a spotlight segment every week during the offseason of a lesser known player who donned the black-and-gold for a time.

This week’s player: Shaun Suisham

Suisham was selected by the Ottawa Renegades in the third round (20th overall) of the 2004 CFL Draft and his rights were traded to the Edmonton Eskimos. He instead opted to sign as an undrafted free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League on April 28. He played in the first game of the preseason against the Philadelphia Eagles, converting a 46-yard field goal and an extra point. On August 28, he was waived after not being able to pass Jeff Reed on the depth chart.

After stints with the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, Cowboys again, Cleveland Browns and St. Louis Rams he found his way back to the Steelers for a second stint with the team.

This time he stuck.

On November 16, 2010, Suisham signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers after a tryout, as Jeff Reed had poor outings throughout the 2010 season. On November 28, Suisham kicked four 40+ yard field goals (45, 46, 48, and 41 yards) against Buffalo, including the game-winning kick in overtime. No other player in NFL history had kicked four field goals of 40 yards or longer, including an OT game-winner, in one game, but he did it twice. He had a 5 field goal effort of 40+ yards for the Redskins in a 23–20 overtime victory over the Jets in 2007.

He stuck with the Steelers until the 2015 season, when his season, and career, were ended with an injury during the Hall of Fame game in Canton, OH.

Suisham told NFL reporters that he believed he had torn his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while covering the opening kickoff in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. An MRI was taken on August 10 and showed he had torn his ACL. He went on to miss the entire 2015 season and was replaced with Garrett Hartley at first, and eventually with Chris Boswell.

On June 24, 2016, Suisham was released by the Steelers after a failed physical.

Check out the latest “Let’s Ride” podcast in the player below:

That does it…the jig is up, they’ve finally found me. This renegade is outta here…be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the final days leading up to training camp.