Months before Watt agreed to the three-year, $123 million deal that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, Watt cryptically posted a story to his Instagram of him in Steelers uniform holding up a peace sign. That simple post in April prompted talk of whether Watt should be traded and several theories for why Watt made the post.

L ATROBE, Pa. -- A day after officially signing his three-year, $123 million extension, T.J. Watt was relaxed and jovial Wednesday as he reported to his ninth Pittsburgh Steelers training camp.

TJ Watt spoke with reporters on the first day of training camp in Latrobe after signing an extension that made him the highest-paid defender in the NFL.

Watt, 30, had 11.5 sacks a season ago and dealt with multiple injuries that cooled him off down the stretch. Before the injuries, Watt was the odds-on favorite to win the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year Award, which would have been his second in a storied career.

The Steelers are in their 55th year of training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. The players always bring some of their comforts of home as the team, for the most part, stays in the dorms for the entire training camp.

Watt’s accolades gave him a strong case to be the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL; he’s a Defensive Player of the Year, four-time First-Team All-Pro, and seven-time Pro Bowler since being drafted in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.