In July 2025, the Pittsburgh Steelers doubled down on their defensive identity, extending TJ Watt to a massive three-year, $123 million deal. The contract made him the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback, a statement that Pittsburgh intends to keep its franchise cornerstone in black and gold for the foreseeable future. For the Steelers, Watt isn’t just a pass rusher; he is the heartbeat of a defense that has carried this franchise’s tradition of toughness into a new era. The accolades speak for themselves. Seven Pro Bowl selections, four first-team All-Pro nods, a Defensive Player of the Year award, and 108 career sacks already put him in the conversation as one of the greatest defenders in Steelers history. Yet Watt refuses to stand still.

The word came into focus in camp when Watt publicly admitted that he’s willing to adapt his position throughout the lineup. For years, he’s been lining up mostly on the left, making quarterbacks and offensive coordinators game plan against him. But now Watt is getting ready to line up everywhere—left, right, and even in the middle, giving his game a new twist. “This year, it’s about moving around more… to keep offenses off balance,” Watt said in a conversation with SportsLine. “I’m all in for whatever helps us win.” For Pittsburgh, that adjustment is a major strategic move, designed to keep one of the league’s most disruptive players unpredictable.

Coming off an 11.5-sack season, Watt is clearly hungry to rediscover his dominant form. In 2023, he had 19 sacks, reminding the NFL that when in the zone, he can become a terror to quarterbacks. Now, rather than being one-dimensional, he would like to be an actual movable weapon. Historically, the dominant rusher from the left edge, Watt is now committed to becoming adept at both edges of the field to make the fullest impact. For an opposing offense, it means never knowing where No. 90 will attack from, an uncertainty that could tilt games in the Steelers’ favor.

“I prefer the left, but at this point in my career, I want to be an impact player,” Watt said last week. Since the Steelers signed him in 2017, Watt has taken nearly 4,900 snaps on the left side of the defense to only 653 on the right. That regularity yielded record-setting numbers, including his tie for most sacks in a season with 22.5 in 2021. But it also made him predictable, a guy offenses could occasionally game up against. Now, heading into his ninth year, Watt has been challenging himself with a completely different rhythm. He spent whole camp days rolling from one side before flipping over, then forcing himself to transition in live drills. The goal: moving fluidly between both edges without sacrificing technique.

TJ Watt’s retirement plans

Even while Watt hones his 2025 game, another narrative has emerged under the radar—his retirement. At 30 years old, with the new extension in his pocket and a new baby boy, Watt concedes that life feels different. In an intimate summer interview, he revealed that leaving it all behind has been something on his mind.

“I loved hockey. I really did,” Watt revealed, recalling his childhood in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, where all three Watt brothers laced up skates before strapping on football pads. T.J. started skating at just two years old and played center until he was about eleven. ”I think beer league would be the most fun to do after I’m done playing,” he admitted with a laugh. That fantasy of lacing on skates once more may not be seen soon, but it remains as he juggles football, family, and the long-term wear and tear of an NFL career.

The love of hockey was genuine. Watt looked back at qualifying for AAA-level youth hockey, somehing that brought his family pride, but also a time when his path changed. While brothers J.J. and Derek pursued further in hockey, T.J. went in a different direction. “I felt shorted in that aspect. I felt like I was pretty damn good at hockey, and obviously J.J. and Derek were really good too,” Watt said. That competitiveness, traced to his youth, continues to drive him even as he weighs what’s next.

But for the time being, Pittsburgh is looking ahead to the present and a season in which Watt’s versatility may be the deciding element. Against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, those changes will be tested. Can Watt’s new role take a defense from playoff-caliber to championship-capable? Can his disruptive talent redefine how opponents game plan for the Steelers week in and week out? The answers start this Sunday, where Watt is again set to remind the NFL why he is still one of its most feared defenders.