2021 Salary Cap Could Screw the Steelers in TJ Watt Contract Extension Talks

The Pittsburgh Steelers are trying their hardest to get a contract done with star pass rusher TJ Watt after he registered 14.5 sacks in 2019. Unfortunately, because of Pittsburgh's excellent drafting over the last few seasons, Watt isn't the only one who is in line for a payday.

The 2021 salary cap in Pittsburgh might be jam-packed with new deals now that the likes of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Bud Dupree and James Conner are all angling for second contracts. Unfortunately, all of these players are doing so right before the salary cap is projected to decrease by a pretty noticeable amount due to the coronavirus.

On top of the young players Pittsburgh needs to pay, the team has to find a way to retain star defensive lineman Cameron Heyward and left tackle Alejandro Villanueva, both of whom are free agents after this season.

The Steelers will likely retain a good chunk of these players, but doing so might make it more difficult for Watt to do so given the glut of free agents they need to bring back in addition to the tenuous financial situation around the league.

Watt has two Pro Bowls and an All-Pro selection to his name, and his 27.5 sacks over the last two years make him one of the best pass rushers in all of football. He will likely get a huge contract offer from Kevin Colbert, but it might not be as big as he hoped if Colbert wants to retain all of those names on a budget.