Watt Missing At Steelers Mandatory Mini-Camp

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Aaron Rodgers might be ready to take the practice field for the Pittsburgh Steelers. T.J. Watt is not.  The star outside linebacker skipped the start of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. Watt likely is eyeing a new deal as he enters the final year of his current contract.  The seven-time Pro Bowler and 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year signed a four-year extension in September 2021 that was scheduled to pay him $112 million and made him the highest-paid defender in the league at the time.  That number has been eclipsed several times over the last four years, including by Cleveland star Myles Garrett, who signed a deal in March that made him the most well-compensated non-quarterback in the league at $40 million a season.  The decision to skip mini-camp is a change from Watt’s approach in 2021, when he did a “hold in” during both mini-camp and training camp before agreeing to a contract on the eve of the regular season.  “We expect him back at some point,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said Tuesday. “We don’t get caught up (in that) … He’s going to be in good shape (whenever he arrives).”