2024 Steelers Exit Interviews: T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith
The Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 NFL season has come to a close. Because the Steelers are among the 31 teams who did not finish fulfilling their ultimate goal, they are in the process of wrapping up their season and moving forward into 2025.
Since the Steelers conduct exit interviews with all their players, and the fact I have done these articles in the past, we thought we would do them yet again here at Steel Curtain Network. By outlining two players each day, we will be able to look at their season in retrospect as well as looking toward the future. Since Coach Tomlin has previously stated he starts his interviews with rookies and those heading into free agency, we will attempt to do the same to some degree. To start, we will pair the most recent draftees with another player at the same position (if possible) as we work through this process to eventually cover the entire Steelers roster.
Next up are outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.
T.J. Watt
Position: Outside Linebacker
Years with the Steelers: 8
Years in the NFL: 8
Contract Status: Signed through 2025
Contract Details: $30,418,695 salary cap hit for 2025. Would cost the Steelers $9,368,694 in dead money if released and save $21,050,001.
Games played in 2024: 17 regular season
Games started in 2024: 17 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 938 (defense), 38 (special teams)
PFF score: 91.7 (3rd of 119)
Notable stats: Watt had 61 tackles, 19 of which were for loss, 11.5 sacks, an NFL-leading 6 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 4 passes defensed.
Notes: Outside of the year he missed half the season due to injury, 2024 was the least amount of sacks T.J. Watt had in a season since his rookie campaign in 2017. Despite still being a finalist for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, it was not a great season by T.J. Watt standards. But that’s because it’s T.J. Watt standards. He is still one of, if not the best, defender in the NFL. Whether or not Watt gets his extension in the offseason will be more of a question heading into training camp a few months from now.
Alex Highsmith
Position: Outside Linebacker
Years with the Steelers: 5
Years in the NFL: 5
Contract Status: Signed through 2027
Contract Details: $18,602,000 salary cap hit for 2025. Would cost the Steelers $16,806,000 in dead money if released and save $1,796,000.
Games played in 2024: 11 regular season
Games started in 2024: 11 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 525 (defense), 37 (special teams)
PFF score: 89.0 (8th of 119)
Notable stats: Highsmith had 45 tackles, 9 of which were for loss, 6.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 2 passes defensed.
Notes: I find myself forgetting that Alex Highsmith missed six games this season in two different three-game streaks. Still, having two edge rushers ranked to the top eight in the NFL is quite significant. Unfortunately for Highsmith, getting notarized for postseason awards such as the Pro Bowl is difficult with T.J. Watt also on the roster. But Highsmith is a player who just continues to work and does his job, something the Pittsburgh Steelers value.
Make sure you check back each day for another set of exit interviews. If you have missed any of the previous articles, they are listed here:
Troy Fautanu & Broderick Jones
Zach Frazier & Ryan McCollum
Roman Wilson & Van Jefferson
Payton Wilson & Patrick Queen
Mason McCormick & James Daniels
Logan Lee & Isaiahh Loudermilk
Ryan Watts & Damontae Kazee
Joey Porter Jr. & James Pierre
Keeanu Benton & Montravius Adams
Darnell Washington & Pat Freiermuth
Nick Herbig & Jeremiah Moon
Cory Trice Jr. & Donte Jackson
Spencer Anderson & Calvin Anderson
Larry Ogunjobi & Preston Smith
Beanie Bishop Jr. & Cameron Sutton
George Pickens & Mike Williams
DeMarvin Leal & Dean Lowry
Calvin Austin III & Ben Skowronek
Connor Heyward & MyCole Pruitt
Mark Robinson & Elandon Roberts
Najee Harris & Jaylen Warren
Russell Wilson & Justin Fields
Kyle Allen & Cordarrelle Patterson
Isaac Seumalo & Max Scharping
Tyler Matakevich & C.J. Henderson
Miles Killebrew & Christian Kuntz
Corliss Waitman & Cameron Johnston
Minkah Fitzpatrick & DeShon Elliott
