T.J. Watt explains peace sign on his Instagram story

Watt sparked rumors of a contract dispute when he posted a peace sign on social media, but claims it was to stir the pot.

Contract negotiations between the Pittsburgh Steelers and T.J. Watt resulted in the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year becoming the highest-paid non-quarterback in football.

The drama is over. Watt didn’t need to do a hold-in. There’s no drama as the Steelers began practice at St. Vincent College on Thursday. But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows before the pen hit the paper.

In April, Watt posted a picture of himself giving the peace sign on his Instagram story. The post sparked rumors that Watt either wanted out of Pittsburgh or wasn’t happy with how contract negotiations were playing out.

According to Watt, he did it to see what reaction the post would cause.

“Sometimes it’s just fun to have fun with the narratives out there,” Watt told the media. “Obviously, I’m very in tune with what’s going on with negotiations and how things are going. It’s fun to see what you guys are all writing, thinking things are one way even though they’re completely a different way.”

The Steelers and Watt agreed to a three-year, $123 million extension less than a week before training camp. Watt will make an average annual value of $41 million per season.

“Sometimes it’s fun, especially when it’s early in the offseason, to kind of throw something out there and see what happens,” Watt said. “It stirred things up a lot more than I ever thought it could.”

But, did the post ultimately work to his advantage?

“I don’t know. That’s the great thing about negotiations. You never know what works,” Watt said. “I’m sure both sides have things that they’ve done and that they used as tools and chess pieces throughout the process but I’m sure you’ll never know what worked and what didn’t.”

Watt posted a picture of him flexing toward the camera to all but confirm the deal on July 17.

He opted to stay home and remain training in his routine rather than participate in mandatory minicamp.

Watt said he thought he would be more of a distraction during contract talks if he only participated individually. During the last negotiations four years ago, Watt attended minicamp.

“There’s definitely more that goes through a lot of things when it comes to a contract,” Watt said. “I think it was more so being prepared as best I possibly could as opposed to flying in and doing things on the side and potentially being more of a distraction. I’m glad the deal got done. I’m super excited to move forward.”

Watt is under contract through the 2028 season. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in sacks with 108 and has finished runner up for Defensive POTY twice. The Steelers play the New York Jets in New Jersey to begin the year on Sept. 7.