The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed linebacker T.J. Watt to a five-year contract, the team announced on Friday. On Thursday, multiple reports surfaced saying the two sides agree to a four-year, $112 million contract extension with $80 million guaranteed, making him the NFL's highest-paid defensive player.

Watt’s reported annual salary ($28 million) eclipses the five-year, $135 million deal ($27 million annually) the Los Angeles Chargers signed Joey Bosa to last offseason.

Watt, 26, who was on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, which would have paid him about $10 million, had been a “hold in” at training camp, reporting but not practicing. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday he was "optimistic" the sides would agree to a long-term contract before the start of the season. Watt fully participated in practice for the first time on Wednesday.

“Obviously, I would love to be here (long term). But all of those decisions aren’t really mine to be made,” Watt said on the first day of camp. “So I am just here right now trying to get better every day.”

Watt has earned first-team All-Pro honors in each of the last two seasons and led the NFL in sacks (15) and tackles for loss (23) in 2020. He has 42.5 sacks in 47 games over the last three seasons. He also has 17 forced fumbles in his four-year career, including a league-leading eight in 2019.

The Steelers drafted Watt in the first round (No. 30) in the 2017 NFL Draft. He’s the younger brother of Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt, and of fullback Derek Watt, his teammate in Pittsburgh.

(Photo: Ian Johnson / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Steelers, T.J. Watt end contract stalemate with agreement that breaks from tradition

Does this deal look like you expected it to considering the hold in and disagreements between the parties?

Mark Kaboly, Steelers beat writer: The deal is pretty much what you expected Watt to get other than the $80 million guaranteed at signing. The Steelers haven't even come close to guaranteeing that kind of money to any player in the past including Ben Roethlisberger and that has been the sticking point over the extension for a while.

The Steelers have ripped up the final year of rookie contracts before but decided against that with Watt likely because of the hefty signing bonus. Other than that, a deal that put him around $28 million per year with a sizeable of that guaranteed was expected to be what it took to get the deal done.

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Given he was not practicing until Wednesday, how should we expect Watt to look on Sunday?

Kaboly: Watt is going to play, that's for sure. How much and how effective he will be is another story. Conditioning won't be an issue but timing and the feel of actually making contact with an offensive lineman might take a while to get used to.

The Steelers will likely limit his snaps in some way especially with Melvin Ingram now on the roster. How he might do could go either way. Aaron Donald held out for the entire preseason in 2018 and struggled in his first game. Watt should be able to get some favorable matchups in the pass-rushing game and could produce more than what a guy who will have about 30 competition period snaps the entire offseason before playing a real game.