T.J. Watt or Minkah Fitzpatrick: Which Steeler gets paid first and when?

As of today, Steelers edge T.J. Watt will play the 2021 season on his fifth-year option. The option, which he signed in 2020, is worth $10.16 million.

Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is still on the rookie deal he signed with the Dolphins back in 2018 (his 2022 fifth-year option was exercised in April). Interestingly enough, according to Over the Cap, the safety earned more in one season with Miami than in two with the Steelers.

It’s in the best interest of the player to get extended before the start of the season. If something terrible were to happen in-season, his leverage takes a hit.

It’s also an advantage for the Steelers to get Watt or Fitzpatrick signed in the next two months. They are the future of the defense, and Pittsburgh will want to secure long-term rights to both of them. Since Fitzpatrick is still under contract with Pittsburgh this season and in 2022, if either player is extended before Sept. 12, it’ll be Watt.

Pittsburgh has made a habit of not negotiating with its players during the regular season. If Watt or Fitzpatrick are re-signed this offseason, their internal deadline is the week leading up to Sept. 12 — season kickoff at Buffalo. Though the Steelers have offered contract extensions in the summer, some more recent ones have come down to the wire — former Steeler David DeCastro in 2016, Stephon Tuitt in 2017 and Joe Haden in 2019.

The question then becomes: If the Steelers intend to sign them to long-term contracts in this offseason, where will the money come from? The team currently has $13.14 million in salary-cap space — not nearly enough for the value of Watt or Fitzpatrick’s talent and production. (Some of that money will need to be set aside for rookie center Kendrick Green who has yet to sign with the team.)

With the 2022 salary cap ceiling being set at $208.2 million, the Steelers (and many other teams) will have more room to negotiate after the season. Both Chargers’ Joey Bosa and Browns’ Myles Garrett signed deals north of $25 million last year, so we know Watt’s will be more generous than that. Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick will look to rival Seattle safety Jamal Adams who’s currently the highest-paid at his position at $22.25 million.