Linebacker T.J. Watt reported to training camp on Wednesday with a new four-year contract and a high-level of excitement for the 2025 season.
"I just wanted the deal to get done," said Watt. "Obviously I am happy it got done before training camp just to be here, to eliminate any potential distraction and just worry about football. I am just excited. I am excited to be here. Excited to show the fans what we have to offer here this training camp and get the ball rolling."
Watt knows the changes the team made in the offseason, which includes multiple veteran additions, are to get the Steelers to where they want to be, which is Super Bowl champions.
Now he is looking forward to that journey taking flight, starting on the fields at Saint Vincent College.
"I am excited about this new team," said Watt. "There are so many new faces. The goal always remains the same. It's a new year. It's a fresh start for everybody across the league. Everybody always looks good on paper this time of year, but it's about what we do the next couple of weeks here in preparation.
"All the new faces, I wasn't here in the summer obviously, so there's going to be a lot of people to get to know and talk to, but a lot of playmakers, a lot of young guys that are going into their second and third year as well, just being more and more familiar with the system. Some coaches coming back and some new coaches. It's just fun. It's a fun time of year."
Watt, who won the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and was a finalist in 2024, has been a stabilizing force for the defense since he was selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Watt is the Steelers all-time sack leader with 108 career sacks. He recorded his 100th career sack against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5 of the 2024 season, on a night he accounted for one and a half sacks.
Watt became the second fastest player to reach 100 career sacks, doing it in 109 career games. Only Hall of Famer Reggie White did it faster, reaching the 100-sack mark in 96 games.
Watt is also one of only three players to reach 100 career sacks before the age of 30. His 108 career sacks are third-most in NFL history by a player in their first eight seasons in the NFL.
He has almost every individual accolade you can have. But he wants more. He wants to be a champion.
"I think that it's the endless pursuit of it and just wanting to continue to do everything possible, turn over every stone," said Watt. "At this point, we haven't been able to do that. You see the aggressiveness that we're taking organizationally. I'm doing everything I can personally, whether that's moving around, mentoring younger guys as much as I possibly can. I think that's really all that we can do and just keep putting our heads down and working.
"We can sit here and talk and talk about how much I want to win a playoff game, what I want to do, but at the end of the day that's just lip service. It's all about what we do. And that's why I'm excited to be back here. That's why we're excited to get to know each and every guy on this new team that we have and get to work."
With additions to the defense, such as cornerback Jalen Ramsey, cornerback Darius Slay, safety Juan Thornhill and drafting defensive lineman Derrick Harmon in the first round, the Steelers made a commitment to that side of the ball like no other.
"I think teams need to understand that when they come to Pittsburgh and play the Steelers, there's a certain brand of football," said Watt. "And that's why you see, especially on the defensive line, drafting a d-lineman in the first round, it's kind of sets a tone to get that message across. That's why we tackle so much in training camp. That's why we go full pads as much as we do. And it's interesting to see some guys that have been in other places and come here and how much we tackle, but it definitely is important.
"I think it's getting back to being a really, really hard-nosed football team, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Setting hard goals and sticking to them.
"Teams need to know what's coming when they see the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. And not to say that they haven't in the past, that we haven't taken pride in it. But I think that's something that we can definitely talk more openly about our goals as a defensive unit and hold each other accountable."
