The Pittsburgh Steelers made outside linebacker T.J. Watt the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history shortly before the regular season began, paying him an average of $28 million per year, with the first three years of his contract being fully guaranteed, bucking longstanding team precedent in that regard.
They did it because Watt has proven to be a precedent-busting talent who is off to among the best five-year starts of a career that we’ve ever seen, not just in Pittsburgh, but anywhere. He’s been in the running for the Defensive Player of the Year Award for years now.