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Watt Not Attending Steelers Minicamp -Leverage is the name of the game. There are a few ways to prove your worth as a player. Not showing up is one of them. After getting a deal done, signed, sealed and delivered with Aaron Rodgers, who arrived bright and early at 7:19 ET, to provide some much-needed stability at the quarterback position, the Pittsburgh Steelers now have another contract situation on their hands involving their best player on the defensive side of the ball, T.J. Watt.

According to ESPN’s senior NFL insider Adam Schefter, Watt is not planning to attend mandatory minicamp as he looks for a new deal.

The Steelers’ three-day minicamp will begin on Tuesday and run through Thursday.

Watt’s noticeable absence will not catch anyone off guard because he skipped voluntary Organized Team Activities, (OTAs). The seven-time Pro Bowler also seemed to indicate back in April he was not happy with the Steelers after posting a cryptic image on social media.

This is a good time for Watt to be seeking a new deal. He is entering the final season of his four-year, $112 million contract inked back in 2021 that made him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL at the time.

Myles Garrett of their division rival Cleveland Browns and Maxx Crosby with the Los Angeles Raiders surpassed him and reset the market for defensive players this offseason. Garrett became the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL when he signed a lucrative four-year, $160 million extension with the Browns in March 2025 after requesting a trade. That came days after Crosby received a three-year, $106.5 million extension from the Raiders.

Watt’s $28.2 million average salary on his current deal now ranks a distant ninth among all defensive players in the NFL. The Steelers have reportedly made him a “pretty significant” offer, though it is unclear how much it is worth.

The Steelers’ distinguished track record of taking care of their own would suggest a deal will get done with Watt closer to the start of the regular season. His previous extension from four years ago was agreed to on September 9, three days before they kicked off the season.

Last year, the Steelers signed both Cameron Heyward and Pat Freiermuth to new deals in the first week of September.

Any chance the Steelers have of getting back to the playoffs in 2025 depends firmly on Watt anchoring their defensive line. The 30-year-old is one of the most impactful pass-rushers in the NFL. He has gotten home to the quarterback and recorded at least 11.5 sacks in six of the last seven seasons and has finished in the top four in Defensive Player of the Year voting five times during that stretch, winning the award in 2021.

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Hendrickson Skips Bengals Minicamp – The Cincinnati Bengals will hold their first of three mandatory minicamp practices on Tuesday and four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Trey Hendrickson will not be in attendance, according to ESPN’s senior NFL insider Adam Schefter.

Hendrickson, who is in the middle of a contentious and ongoing contract dispute with the Bengals, chose to stay away from the team because he is frustrated and upset with his contract status with the franchise. The Bengals will likely hit Hendrickson where it hurts, in the pocket, and penalize him for not showing as players are subject to fines of more than $100,000 for missing minicamp for unexcused absences.

Hendrickson continues to make his feelings known and his stance clear with the Bengals.

This was expected when Hendrickson made a surprising appearance to practice on May 13 to discuss his contract situation sparked by a cryptic text exchange with head coach Zac Taylor.
Hendrickson said Taylor let him know through text message the team would fine him if he did not report for minicamp.

“A little bit transpired between me and Zac,” Hendrickson said. “We’ve tried to keep it as least amount as personal as possible, but at some point, in this process, it becomes personal.”

The Bengals and Hendrickson do not seem to be on the same page when it comes to an extension. The goal for everyone involved is to come to an agreement that keeps Hendrickson in Cincinnati for the foreseeable future. In order for that to happen, both sides will need to find a happy medium.

Hendrickson, 30, led the NFL in sacks over the last two seasons with 35. He wants to be paid according to the market value for premiere edge rushers and the Bengals have not yet offered him an extension that he believes is in line with the market.

When asked by reporters if he would play the upcoming season on his current deal, Hendrickson let out an emphatic no. He is scheduled to make a base salary of $15.8 million with a salary cap hit of $18.6 million this season.